BJP claims LoP skipped PM’s speech out of guilt

The BJP on Monday alleged that both Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra remained absent from the Lok Sabha out of a “sense of guilt” during Prime Minister’s speech on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram because he exposed their party and the Gandhi family. Initiating the discussion in the Lower House, Prime Minister Modi spoke about how the original version of the Vande Mataram was “truncated at the behest of” Jawaharlal Nehru to “appease” Muhammad Ali Jinnah and “this seed of division” that he sowed at that time led to the partition of India later to “appease minorities”, BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra said.

“Perhaps this is the reason why the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were absent from the House on such an important day, when it is the 150th anniversary of Vande Matram and the prime minister is speaking,” Patra charged.

“They were absent because of the sense of guilt they had in their hearts because their own family cheated, deceived and betrayed the Vande Mataram. They knew that they wouldn’t be able to bear it,” he told reporters in the Parliament House complex.

Initiating the discussion on Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Modi accused the Congress of breaking into pieces the national song under the guise of social harmony, and said it was still following the politics of appeasement.

He also targeted Nehru for “agreeing” with the suggestion that Vande Mataram could antagonise Muslims. Modi cited a letter written by Nehru to Subhash Chandra Bose and claimed the former prime minister had said that the background of Vande Mataram could antagonise Muslims. He said the letter was written following a protest by Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Lucknow.

Terming Modi’s speech “historic”, Patra said the prime minister exposed the Congress and its betrayal towards Vande Mataram.

“Today, the prime minister clearly told the House that the seed of division that Pt Jawaharlal Nehru sowed during ‘division of Vande Mataram’ to appease Jinnah later grew up due to appeasement of minorities and became the reason behind the partition of India,” he said.

What the prime minister told the House will “shake the roots” of the Congress “as never before”, Patra said. “He completely exposed the Congress and the Gandhi family,” he added.

In her speech, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the government pushed for a debate on Vande Mataram as the West Bengal assembly polls were approaching and to divert attention from the problems people were facing.

The Congress MP from Wayanad slammed the BJP for targeting Nehru and alleged that the government wanted this debate to make fresh allegations against those who fought for the country’s freedom.

“Since you keep talking about Nehru, let’s do one thing, let’s assign a time for a discussion, list out all the insults against him... Debate it and let’s close the chapter for once and all,” she said.