‘Vande Mataram’ row: BJP says Cong puts vote bank politics over nation’s dignity
The BJP’s attack came after two Congress councilors in Indore refused to sing “Vande Mataram” during a debate on the municipal budget on April 8, saying Islam did not allow it.
Hitting out at the INDIA bloc, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla called the opposition alliance “anti-India” and accused it of putting religious considerations above the Constitution.
In a post on he said.
“They put Sharia above the Constitution. Congress councilors in Indore refused to sing Vande Mataram during the hearings. But they are not alone,” he added in his video message on X.
Poonawalla alleged that from India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, the Congress has disrespected the ‘Vande Mataram’.
Poonawalla said the “Congress ecosystem” had opposed the national song from the beginning and claimed that many MLAs of the opposition party in Madhya Pradesh had also refrained from singing the song.
He also criticized other opposition parties such as All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Samajwadi Party.
While AIMIM leader Waris Pathan supported the Congress councillors, NCP leader Fauzia Khan said singing “Vande Mataram” was against her religion. Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi also opposed and accused this.
“We know that they used this excuse of religion. So, was Ashfaqullah Khan wrong in saying Vande Mataram? This is because they (opposition leaders) put vote bank politics above the honor of the nation,” he said.
When it was reported that two Congress councilors refused to sing “Vande Mataram”, the BJP councilors rushed to the speaker’s podium and shouted slogans.
Congress councilors later told reporters that their religion did not allow them to sing “Vande Mataram”; it was a Sanskrit phrase meaning “I bow to you, mother.”
Councilor Fauzia Sheikh Alim said she has religious freedom under the Constitution and no one can force her to sing “Vande Mataram”.
As the controversy escalated, he said he respected the national song and would continue to do so.
