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Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicising national symbols and fabricating controversies to mask administrative failures and public grievances amid the Vande Mataram row.
Speaking to reporters in Varanasi, Rai responded to recent confrontations between BJP and Congress workers, clarifying that the national song, Vande Mataram, remains an integral part of all official Congress gatherings across state, district, and city levels. Rai asserted that while Congress regularly sings the national song at all organisational events, the BJP uses it primarily as a marketing tool and an event-management exercise. "We sing 'Vande Mataram' at every one of our programs. It is sung at every Congress event, whether at our state office, district office, or city office; it happens everywhere. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is merely marketing it and turning it into an event. They forcibly march to our offices with torches, attempt to sing there, and yet fail to even sing 'Vande Mataram' correctly," he said. The UP Congress chief cited an incident in Banaras where BJP activists carrying torches marched toward Congress offices. He claimed the counter-protesters failed to sing Vande Mataram correctly and sought only to provoke unrest, adding that Congress workers exercised restraint to prevent clashes. "Yesterday, here in Banaras, they couldn't even sing it properly and simply wanted to create a controversy. Our workers showed great restraint, averting the situation," he said. Rai accused the BJP of lacking historical links to India's freedom movement or patriotic sacrifice, claiming their public displays are designed to project a "superficial image of patriotism." "These BJP people have no connection to true patriotism or love for the nation; they have never fought for the country, and they have no history of freedom fighters. They are engaged solely in marketing and staging events. They certainly want to project a superficial image of patriotism to hide their own failures and shortcomings," he said. Rai alleged that the ruling party manufactures such rows to divert public attention from critical issues, including reported police lathi-charges on female protesters and allegations of financial corruption in temple-related funds. "They are trying to divert attention from issues like the lathi-charge on young girls and the corruption involving funds meant for Lord Ram's temple. But the public has understood the reality," he said. Meanwhile, Religious leader Sadhvi Ritambhara criticised Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi following circulating video footage from the Congress party's Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony. Ritambhara stated that Vande Mataram naturally evokes a sense of sacrifice, calm, and reverence for soldiers guarding the nation's borders, framing the Congress leadership's conduct as insensitive to national pride. Speaking to ANI, she said, "Her (Sonia Gandhi's) reaction to Vande Mataram was such that it appeared as though she were suffering from some sort of physical irritation. Listening to an inspiring song like 'Vande Mataram' usually calms the spirit and fills the heart with a sense of sacrifice, evoking thoughts of the soldiers who shed their blood at the borders." A controversy erupted after an August 15 video from Congress HQ, Indira Bhawan, showed Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi talking and gesturing during a rendition of Vande Mataram. Senior BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, accused Sonia Gandhi of looking "uneasy" and trying to stop the song midway. The party called it evidence of Congress' discomfort with Vande Mataram, citing the party's history of adopting only the first two stanzas. BJP members filed police complaints in Karnataka and Delhi under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act. Congress rejected the claims, saying it was routine event management. Jairam Ramesh said Sonia Gandhi was only asking for a chair for Kharge, who had been standing. The party said organisers had arranged the full six stanzas without briefing leaders, causing brief confusion. Congress also cited the 1937 CWC resolution guided by Rabindranath Tagore, under which only the first two stanzas are sung at party events. (ANI)
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