Amit Shah accuses Congress of insulting Vande Mataram, seeks apology

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused the Congress party of insulting the national song 'Vande Mataram' and demanded that the party apologise to the people and to its writer, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Addressing a public meeting in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, Mr. Shah alleged that during the Independence Day programme at the Congress headquarters, party leader Sonia Gandhi asked for the song to be stopped midway. He claimed the incident was witnessed on television.

'Thousands of people faced bullets and latis and were jailed for singing Vande Mataram,' Mr. Shah said, recalling the song's significance during the freedom struggle. He further alleged that the Congress had forgotten the national song due to vote-bank politics.

The Home Minister was speaking at the 'Atal Gaurav Smriti Samaroh' held on the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Chittorgarh. He highlighted Vajpayee's contributions, including making India a nuclear power despite international pressure after the Pokhran tests, connecting villages with roads, building national highways, and establishing a separate ministry for tribal development.

Mr. Shah said the progress in tribal welfare under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was reflected in the election of Droupadi Murmu, who belonged to a tribal family, as the President of India. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has continued to prioritise tribal welfare.

The event also featured Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, who said India's borders were becoming safer under Mr. Shah's leadership. He credited the Home Minister with playing a key role in addressing Left-wing extremism and implementing new criminal laws in the state.

The Congress party has not yet responded to Mr. Shah's allegations.