By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: The vote bank for Congress may be big, but for Indians, ‘Vande Mataram’ is supreme,” said Sambalpur MP Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
Criticising the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, he said that the Congress Working Committee’s decision to move away from ‘Vande Mataram’, which ignited the flame of patriotism, sacrifice and self-respect in the hearts of every Indian during the freedom struggle, is not just a simple political proposition; rather, it is a blatant example of their narrow and old appeasement mentality.
Even in 1937, the Congress, bowing to its vote bank and communal pressure, attempted to limit ‘Vande Mataram’. This appeasement policy of that time strengthened the separatist forces that were weakening the unity of the country, with the disastrous consequences of which the country later suffered the pain of partition.
Today, on the auspicious occasion of the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’, the government of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has decided to rectify that historical wrong and give legal protection and due respect to its entire song, while the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi is once again showing its anti-national and narrow character. The insistence on repeating the sensitive mistakes of history instead of learning from them clearly shows the ideological emptiness and moral decay of the Congress party.
MP Shri Pradhan asked Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to clarify whether the country’s national pride and national symbol are more important for the Congress or its own narrow vote bank.
