India News | Himachal Assembly: Congress, BJP Trade Charges over National Anthem and Vande Mataram Row
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The controversy has dominated the opening days of the Monsoon Session, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu accusing Opposition members of disrespecting the National Anthem, while the BJP alleged that the Congress government had disrespected the National Song by not having Vande Mataram sung along with the National Anthem.
Shimla (Himachal) [India], August 26 (ANI): The fifth day of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Monsoon Session on Wednesday witnessed another confrontation between the ruling Congress and Opposition BJP over the National Anthem and Vande Mataram controversy, with leaders of both sides accusing each other of politicising national symbols and diverting attention from substantive issues.
The controversy has dominated the opening days of the Monsoon Session, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu accusing Opposition members of disrespecting the National Anthem, while the BJP alleged that the Congress government had disrespected the National Song by not having Vande Mataram sung along with the National Anthem.
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The BJP had demanded that the video footage of the proceedings be released to establish what happened during the singing of the National Anthem. After the footage was made available, Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania ruled that there had been no disrespect to either the National Anthem or the National Song.
The BJP subsequently demanded an apology from the Chief Minister and the Congress, maintaining that the Opposition had been wrongly accused of disrespecting the National Anthem.Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani accused the BJP of using the controversy to divert attention from issues concerning the people of Himachal Pradesh.
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Dharmani said there was no dispute over the respect accorded to either the National Anthem or Vande Mataram, but questioned the Opposition's insistence that the Assembly session should have begun with the National Song.
He said all members stood in the prescribed manner when the Speaker directed them to stand for the National Anthem, but alleged that BJP members raised objections immediately before and after the Anthem and insisted that the session should have begun with Vande Mataram.
"For us, both the National Anthem and the National Song are symbols of respect," Dharmani said, arguing that the two should not be pitted against each other.
He said Vande Mataram had played an important role in India's freedom struggle and noted the historical association of both the National Song and National Anthem with the country's independence movement.
Dharmani maintained that the parliamentary framework did not prescribe a mandatory sequence for the National Anthem and National Song in state legislatures and said the Himachal Pradesh Assembly was following its established convention.
He also pointed to the Speaker's ruling on the matter, asserting that the ruling had made it clear that there was no disrespect to either national symbol.
The minister accused the BJP of deliberately raising the controversy to divert public attention from other issues, including alleged irregularities related to Ram temple land transactions and growing anger among youth over examination paper leaks.
Referring to the NEET controversy, Dharmani alleged that several examination paper leaks had taken place during the BJP's tenure and claimed that Himachal Pradesh had also witnessed alleged leaks involving police recruitment, JBT recruitment and banking examinations.
He said the Congress government had constituted a new state selection commission after closing the previous Staff Selection Commission mechanism, with the stated objective of preventing such leakages.
Dharmani alleged that the BJP was raising the Vande Mataram controversy to shift attention away from these issues.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur rejected the government's allegations and demanded a fresh ruling from the Speaker, accusing Chief Minister Sukhu of making an incorrect statement in the Assembly.
Thakur said the video footage, which was released after repeated demands by the Opposition, clearly showed that the National Anthem was sung with due respect by all members.
He said he had watched the footage several times and found no evidence of disrespect.
"The video clip makes it clear that there was no disrespect to the National Anthem," Thakur said, adding that the Opposition had therefore sought another ruling from the Speaker.
The former Chief Minister alleged that Sukhu's statement had misled not only the Assembly but also the people of Himachal Pradesh. He accused the Congress of subsequently using the allegation for political mobilisation and staging protests against the BJP at district headquarters.
Thakur also rejected the charge that the BJP was comparing the National Anthem with Vande Mataram.
He said the Opposition's argument was about the protocol governing the sequence in which the two are sung when both are included in the same programme.
Referring to a July 9 notification, Thakur claimed that the protocol provides for the National Song to be sung before the National Anthem when both are part of a programme. He cited the August 15 Independence Day ceremony as an example, saying Vande Mataram was sung before the National Anthem on that occasion.
While stating that he did not want to comment extensively on Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania, Thakur said the Speaker was not above the Constitution, law or rules.
"If rules are cited for us, the Speaker must also follow the rules and respect the constitutional provisions," he said.
PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh also attacked the Opposition, alleging that the BJP had no substantive issue to raise and was therefore repeatedly returning to the National Anthem and Vande Mataram controversy. Singh said the issue had been used for several days in an attempt to disrupt Assembly proceedings.
He said both the National Anthem and Vande Mataram deserved respect and highlighted the contribution of Congress leaders and freedom fighters to the country's independence movement.
Singh urged the Opposition to raise issues directly affecting the people of Himachal Pradesh instead of repeatedly focusing on the controversy.
He pointed to rising prices of essential commodities, petrol and diesel, as issues that deserved greater attention in the Assembly.
The minister accused the BJP of attempting to divert public attention from such issues by repeatedly raising matters that, he said, did not address the immediate concerns of ordinary people.
The confrontation over the National Anthem and Vande Mataram has consequently continued to dominate proceedings, with the Congress maintaining that the BJP is politicising national symbols to avoid substantive issues, while the BJP insists that it is seeking adherence to protocol and accountability for what it describes as an incorrect allegation made against its legislators. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)