Kharge rebuts BJP criticism over ‘incomplete’ Vande Mataram rendition

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday rejected the BJP’s allegation that he had disrespected Vande Mataram by singing an “incomplete” version, saying he followed the rendition used by several prominent national leaders.

Speaking to reporters in South Goa, Kharge said the same version had been sung by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“I sang the Vande Mataram which Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru sang, the same song which Vallabhbhai Patel and Atal Bihari Vajpayee sang. If that is a crime, then file a case against Gandhiji, Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel,” he said.

The BJP tried to create a controversy by accusing Kharge of performing an incomplete rendition of the national song at a public meeting in South Goa on Monday. The ruling party alleged that the Congress president’s action showed disrespect towards Vande Mataram.

Kharge countered that the BJP lacked an understanding of the historical decisions surrounding India’s national song and 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 chief maintained that he had followed a version performed publicly for decades and dismissed the allegation that his rendition represented any departure from established practice.

“I did what has been happening for the last 80 years,” Kharge said.