‘If there is any shame left, apologise’: Amit Shah slams Congress over Vande Mataram row

‘If there is any shame left, apologise’: Amit Shah slams Congress over Vande Mataram row

Jaipur: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused the Congress of insulting the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ during its Independence Day celebrations and demanded that the party apologise to the people and to the legacy of its author, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Addressing a public meeting in Chittorgarh, Shah alleged that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had asked the party president to stop the song midway during an Independence Day programme at the Congress headquarters.

“We all saw it on television,” Shah said, referring to the alleged incident. He accused the Congress of having forgotten the significance of Vande Mataram because of vote-bank politics.

Shah said the song had played an important role in the freedom struggle, with thousands of people facing bullets, lathi charges and imprisonment for singing it.

He said Vande Mataram was sung at the Red Fort and other venues across the country during Independence Day celebrations on Saturday.

Shah invokes Bankim Chandra

Shah demanded an apology from Sonia Gandhi, saying the alleged interruption of the national song was an insult to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who wrote it.

“If there is any shame left, you should fold your hands and apologise to Bankim Babu's immortal spirit and the people,” Shah said.

Also read | ‘Let’s build a developed, self-reliant India’: Amit Shah’s Independence Day message

Shah praises Vajpayee's legacy

Speaking at the ‘Atal Gaurav Smriti Samaroh’ in Chittorgarh to mark former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's death anniversary, Shah also highlighted Vajpayee's contributions to India's development.

He credited Vajpayee's government with taking major decisions, including making India a nuclear power despite international pressure following the Pokhran tests. He also highlighted initiatives to improve rural connectivity, expand national highways and establish a separate ministry for tribal development.

Shah said the progress in tribal welfare was reflected in the election of Droupadi Murmu, who came from a tribal family and went on to become India's President. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had continued to prioritise tribal welfare.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, who also addressed the gathering, said the country's borders had become safer under Shah's leadership and claimed Rajasthan was benefiting from it. He also credited Shah with contributing to efforts to tackle Left-wing extremism and implement the country's new criminal laws.

 

PTI