Vande Mataram row: Bankim Chandra descendant seeks Sonia Gandhi apology, Shah attacks Congress
West Bengal BJP MLA Sumitro Chatterjee, a direct descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, on Sunday sought an unconditional apology from Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over an alleged incident involving the national song 'Vande Mataram' at the party's Independence Day event.
Chatterjee, who is a descendant of Chattopadhyay, the author of 'Vande Mataram', said in a letter to Gandhi that the alleged incident during the Congress headquarters' celebrations on Saturday was "not merely unfortunate but a shameless repetition of a historical mistake".
He said he was writing as an "ordinary citizen, a patriot and a direct descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay" and expressed "deep pain, emptiness and anger" over what he described as Gandhi's alleged reluctance to allow the full rendition of the song.
Chatterjee said the song was closely linked to India's freedom struggle and referred to its use by nationalists during the anti-colonial movement. He also recalled its rendition by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress and by Sarala Devi Chaudhurani at the 1905 Benares Congress session.
He alleged that the Congress' decision to truncate the song echoed its 1937 decision to shorten 'Vande Mataram' following objections from sections of the Muslim community. Chatterjee said the song was not the property of any political party but part of India's collective memory and the legacy of Bankim Chandra.
He appealed to Gandhi to introspect and tender an unconditional apology to the people, particularly the people of West Bengal.
The controversy also drew a sharp attack from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who accused the Congress of insulting the national song and demanded that the party apologise to the people and to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
Addressing a public meeting in Chittorgarh, Shah alleged that during the Independence Day programme at the Congress headquarters, Gandhi asked 'Vande Mataram' to be stopped midway.
"We all saw it on television," Shah said, alleging that the incident reflected the Congress' "vote-bank politics".
Shah said thousands of people had faced bullets, lathis and imprisonment for singing 'Vande Mataram' during the freedom struggle and called on Gandhi to apologise to Chattopadhyay's "immortal spirit" and the people.
The BJP's allegation has been rejected by the Congress, which said Gandhi was asking for a chair for Kharge during the event and had not sought to stop the song.
The controversy came a day after 'Vande Mataram' was played at the Red Fort during the 80th Independence Day celebrations.
Addressing the gathering at the 'Atal Gaurav Smriti Samaroh' on the death anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Shah also highlighted Vajpayee's contribution to India's development and national security.
He said Vajpayee's government connected villages with roads, built national highways and launched several initiatives during its tenure. He also credited Vajpayee with establishing a separate ministry for tribal development.
The home minister said the progress made in tribal welfare was reflected in the election of Droupadi Murmu as president of India, who came from a tribal family and rose to the top post.
Earlier, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said the country's borders were becoming safer under Shah's leadership and credited the Union home minister with playing an important role in eliminating Left-wing extremism and implementing the new criminal laws.
