NEW DELHI: A political row erupted after a video from the Independence Day programme at Congress headquarters showed Congress Parliamentary Party (CCP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi gesturing and engaged in an exchange of comments with party president Mallikarjun Kharge, drawing the attention of others, including Rahul Gandhi, who was standing at some distance.BJP MP Anurag Thakur said Sonia, Rahul and Kharge looked “uneasy” as ‘Vande mataram’s’ full version was rendered. “Congress, due to its petty and appeasement politics, has insulted the national song,” said the former minister.“Kharge Ji is said to be party chief, but Sonia Gandhi, by shouting and angrily gesticulating, has shown the world who is the real boss. This is the reality of their belief in Dalit empowerment,” said Thakur, referring to the Congress president’s caste background.
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However, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said: “As the Congress president was standing for a long time, Sonia ji was asking for a chair for him.” He added the song’s full version was played.Anurag said that since the days of Nehru, Congress has been opposed to the full version and confined its singing to the first two paras. This was reflected in what happened at the Congress headquarters, he added.Ramesh recalled that on Oct 28, 1937, a meeting of the Congress Working Committee was held in Calcutta in the presence of Gandhi, Bose, Sardar Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Nehru, GB Pant and C Rajagopalachari, and at the advice of Tagore, they decided that the initial stanzas of Vande would be sung at Congress sessions. “We have been singing those lines in every session since then,” he added.Rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’ at Congress sessions was restricted to the first two stanzas following objections from Muslims who said the song is idolatrous and against their religious beliefs.
