Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday responded to the BJP’s criticism over his rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’, saying he sang the same version that had been sung by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Speaking to reporters in South Goa, the Congress president said that if singing the version was considered a crime, cases should also be registered against the national leaders who had sung it before him, news agency PTI reported.
Kharge also said the BJP was not aware of the historical decisions taken by the Congress regarding the national song and the national anthem. “They don’t know that before they were born, the Congress had passed the resolution to decide about the national song and the national anthem,” he said. The Congress president said he had followed the version of ‘Vande Mataram’ that had been sung for decades.
Goa Congress defends rendition
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar also defended the rendition in a social media post. Is Sonia Gandhi originally from our country? She came here after getting married, but the blood flowing through her veins is, by and large, Italian blood, isn’t it?”
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday (August 16) targeted senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for allegedly insulting ‘Vande Mataram’ during an Independence Day programme, demanding that she apologise to the people. Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy also attacked Sonia Gandhi on Monday and said, “What can you expect from Sonia Gandhi now?
