Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 9 (ANI): Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress over the ongoing controversy surrounding Vande Mataram, alleging that Congress leaders were disrespecting the national song for vote-bank politics.
"By refusing to sing 'Vande Mataram' and disrespecting it, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and their entire party are insulting the nation. This will cost them dearly in 2029. When they face the electorate then, the public will ask why they should vote for a party that showed disrespect to 'Vande Mataram'," Bawankule said.
He accused the Congress of engaging in vote-bank politics and predicted that the party would find itself in an even worse position than it was in 2014.
"They are engaging in vote-bank politics, and the Congress party will find itself in an even worse state than it was in 2014. If one wishes to live in India, one must say 'Vande Mataram'," the Maharashtra minister said.
His remarks came amid a fresh political row over the rendition of Vande Mataram, with the Congress and its Jammu and Kashmir ally National Conference taking different positions on the issue. The BJP has accused the Congress of appeasement politics, while the National Conference has maintained that alliance partners cannot impose conditions on each other.
On the issue of tribal farmers awaiting forest land rights, Bawankule said the state government had identified the pending distribution of land titles as a serious challenge and that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had directed officials to find an immediate solution.
"There are between 1.5 to 2 lakh tribal farmers who have not yet received their land titles. To safeguard the interests of all such farmers, we are launching a campaign spanning the period from PM Modi's birthday, September 17, to Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, October 2," he said.
Bawankule said the government had decided to grant land rights to all eligible tribal farmers who were yet to receive their titles within three months.
The Maharashtra government has also recently announced measures concerning farmers holding forest rights, including steps intended to provide them access to government schemes.
On the Maratha community, Bawankule said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had taken concrete steps to address the community's demands.
"I state clearly that Chief Minister Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde have done a lot of work for the Maratha community; they have delivered justice to the community in a way that no previous state government ever did," he said.
"The government is prepared to fulfil all demands. The Uddhav Thackeray government failed to do so, leading to the stalling of Maratha reservation; however, the Fadnavis-Shinde government has taken concrete action for the community," Bawankule said.
He further claimed that the government had worked to ensure justice for the Maratha community without affecting the interests of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community.
The minister's remarks come amid continued political debate in Maharashtra over reservation and community-related issues, as well as the implementation of forest rights for tribal communities. (ANI)
Those refusing to sing Vande Mataram are insulting nation, says Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule
