Kapil Sibal hits back at Amit Shah over ‘anti-national’ Vande Mataram remark

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his criticism of the Congress Working Committeersquos decision to sing only two stanzas of Vande MataramSibal questioned whether BJP leaders had themselves regularly sung the complete version of the national song at official or private functions since 1950 He specifically referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modirsquos tenure as Gujarat chief minister and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari VajpayeeIn a post on X Sibal asked whether leaders who did not sing the full version could also be labelled ldquoantinationalrdquo He accused the BJP of using the controversy for political purposesSibal questions BJPrsquos positionSibalrsquos comments came in response to Shahrsquos sharp criticism of the Congress decisionThe Independent Rajya Sabha MP asked whether the BJP had sung all the stanzas of Vande Mataram at its private or official functions since 1950 He also questioned whether Modi during his tenure as Gujarat chief minister and Vajpayee while serving as prime minister had sung the complete versionSibal said that if BJP leaders had not done so the same standard should apply to them as wellHis remarks were aimed at challenging Shahrsquos description of the Congress decision as ldquoantinationalrdquo and questioning what he called the political selectivity surrounding the issueAmit Shah attacks Congress decisionThe controversy intensified on Thursday after Shah launched a strong attack on the Congress over the CWCrsquos decisionShah alleged that choosing to sing only two stanzas of Vande Mataram was ldquoantinationalrdquo and accused the Congress of taking the decision to appease its vote bankThe Home Minister also argued that the partyrsquos position was contrary to the significance attached to the national song and criticised Congress leaders for deciding against singing its full renditionCongress defends twostanza renditionThe Congress has rejected the allegations and defended the decision on historical groundsSenior party leader Jairam Ramesh called BJP leaders ldquofraudulent nationalistsrdquo while responding to Shahrsquos criticismRamesh said the Congress decision was based on the historical position adopted during the freedom movement He referred to a 1937 resolution that recommended singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at national gatheringsAccording to Ramesh the recommendation reflected the considered position of several prominent leaders of the freedom struggleThe latest exchange follows the Congress Working Committeersquos decision on Wednesday to restrict the rendition of Vande Mataram at its gatherings to two stanzas rather than the complete compositionThe decision has since become a fresh point of confrontation between the Congress and BJP with both parties accusing each other of taking politically motivated positionsThe BJP has questioned the Congressrsquo commitment to the national song while the Congress has maintained that its decision is consistent with the historical circumstances surrounding its use at national gatheringsHistorical significance of Vande MataramWritten by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay Vande Mataram played an important role during Indiarsquos freedom struggle and subsequently became one of the countryrsquos most prominent national symbolsThe complete composition contains several stanzas while the first two have traditionally been used at public and national gatheringsThe Congress has cited the 1937 decision while explaining why it continues to support the rendition of the first two stanzas in such settingsThe disagreement has nevertheless brought renewed attention to the historical context surrounding the song and the different positions taken over its renditionSibalrsquos intervention has added another dimension to the controversy with the veteran politician questioning whether the BJP has consistently followed the standard it is now applying to the CongressThe dispute over Vande Mataram comes amid a broader political battle over nationalism the freedom movement and the use of national symbols in contemporary politicsWhile the Congress has defended its CWC decision by citing historical precedent the BJP continues to question the move and has accused the opposition party of compromising on matters of national importanceThe exchange between Sibal and Shah is likely to keep the issue in the political spotlight as both parties seek to defend their respective positions on the rendition and significance of Vande MataramWith inputs from PTI