Cong betrayed the nation's soul by truncating Vante Mataram: BJP MP

BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ghanshyam Tiwari on Saturday alleged that the Congress had ''betrayed the soul of the nation'' when it truncated the national song Vande Mataram to appease a section of the society.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters in Jaipur, Tiwari said, ''Vande Mataram is the soul of India's consciousness. The Congress, which now claims the song as its legacy, was the one that divided the country and indulged in appeasement politics. To please certain groups, they cut short Vande Mataram and hurt the spirit of the Constitution.'' He challenged the Congress to publicly support singing the full version of Vande Mataram. ''If they do so, I will accept that Vande Mataram is part of the Congress' legacy,'' Tiwari said.

Citing historical references, the BJP MP noted that Vande Mataram was first published by Bankim Chandra Chatterji in the Bangadarshan magazine on November 7, 1875, and was sung by Rabindranath Tagore at a session of the Indian National Congress in 1896. ''However, in 1937, Congress leaders like Maulana Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali opposed the song, interrupting speakers who tried to sing it. The Congress linked the song to religion because it mentions Durga, Kamala and Saraswati,'' he claimed.

Tiwari alleged that by 1937, the Congress had compromised the song's integrity and ''laid the foundation of India's partition through its pact with the Muslim League in 1914.'' He also accused the party of trying to ''impose its political ideology'' through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976.

''The BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to strengthening India's unity and integrity. For us, Vande Mataram is as sacred as Jana Gana Mana (the national anthem),'' Tiwari said.

BJP state office in-charge Mukesh Pareek was also present at the press meet.