New Delhi [India], August 19 (ANI): Congress MP KC Venugopal on Wednesday said the party's stand on the recitation of Vande Mataram was clear and that it would follow the decisions taken by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1937.
Venugopal said "Vande Mataram" and the National Anthem are emotional issues for the Congress, alleging that the BJP was politicising the matter.
He termed the controversy over its recitation at the Congress headquarters a "communication gap" and said the issue was closed.
Addressing a press conference after the CWC meeting, Venugopal said, "There is no confusion about that... Today, we discussed this during the CWC... Our stand is very clear. In 1937, Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the topmost leadership of that time, whatever decisions they took, we will abide by those decisions. We are very clear on that: our Congress party workers will do only that. This is our decision."
"The Vande Mataram and National Anthem are emotional things for the Congress party. But it is political for the BJP. This is the difference between them and us...That is clearly a communication gap only. We are very clear about what happened there... That chapter is already closed. These are the versions of the BJP that distort the entire national issues, the paper leak, and others," he further said.
The controversy stems from video footage from the Congress headquarters showing Kharge and Sonia Gandhi conversing while the national song was being rendered during Independence Day celebrations on August 15, prompting the BJP to accuse the party's top leadership of disrespecting "Vande Mataram" and demand a public apology.
Further, Venugopal raised concerns over the absence of an OBC column in the census questionnaire, alleging that the move was aimed at weakening the caste census and demanding clarity from the government.
"We have discussed that also... the Congress President wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of India. I think we are very much concerned about that... their intention is very clear through this: they want to defeat the caste census itself. They are cheating the people of the country. We need clarity from the Government of India; we need clarity from the Prime Minister. Why is this type of cheating happening in the caste census? I think we are going to take it up again," he said.
Further, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh gave an overview of the issues discussed during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.
Ramesh said the "Chhatron Ki Goonj" initiative, which has already seen events in Kota, Dehradun and Prayagraj, will now be expanded to 800 cities and towns.
He added that Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge have asked four Congress chief ministers to submit reports on reforms needed in the education and examination systems of their respective states within a month.
"Over the past two months, events have already been held in Kota, Dehradun, and Prayagraj, with another scheduled for Pune on the 22nd. Today, it was decided to expand this campaign to 800 cities and towns, and Rahul Gandhi will personally participate in these events in several cities... Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have instructed four of our CMs to submit a report outlining necessary reforms for the education and examination systems in their respective states to the Congress President within the next month," he said.
On the issue of alleged donation embezzlement related to the Ram Mandir Trust, Ramesh said the matter was not limited to Uttar Pradesh and alleged that there were concerns over donations made to the trust.
"This applies nationwide, not just to Uttar Pradesh; we must address the revelations regarding the theft of donations meant for the Ram Mandir Trust... PM Modi must break his silence on this issue, and action must be taken, specifically, a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry. The Congress party will launch a nationwide campaign across various states against this theft of donations," he said.
Ramesh said the CWC expressed concern over what he described as the government's alleged "surrender" on issues related to China and the US, referring to alleged Chinese encroachments in Arunachal Pradesh.
"The CWC has expressed deep concern regarding repeated instances of surrender, whether concerning China or the US, by the Modi government and the Prime Minister himself," he said.
Speaking on the Haldwani "purification" row, Ramesh alleged that the incident violated the Constitution, humanity and the law, and demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"...it violates the Constitution, humanity, and the law, yet the Prime Minister remains silent... Institutions belonging to the BJP-RSS ecosystem were also involved; it would be entirely incorrect to claim that only a few individuals were responsible... the Prime Minister ought to apologise for this act of 'purification'," he further said.
He said the Congress party believes that the current strength of the Lok Sabha, 543 seats, should remain unchanged for the next 25 years, while speaking on delimitation and women's reservation.
"The Congress party holds the view that the current strength of the Lok Sabha, 543 seats, should remain unchanged for the next 25 years. The share of seats allocated to each state should also remain as it is for the next 25 years. Furthermore, the CWC has today demanded the implementation of the 1/3rd reservation for women within this 543-member Lok Sabha, a measure enacted in September 2023 and notified three years later, on April 16, 2026," the Congress MP said. (ANI)
Vande Mataram row: Venugopal says Congress will abide by Gandhi, Nehru, Patel's 1937 decision
