'Defending Sonia's absence an insult to people'
New Delhi, Sept 11: Taking exception to the decision of the Congress party to distance itself from centenary celebrations of Vande Mataram and defend the deliberate absence of its President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party today said this was nothing but an insult to crores of Indians who had observed the centenary of the National song.
"The Congress is seeking to create a controversy about the date of the centenary and the intention is just to defend the absences of Mrs Gandhi and Prime Minister," BJP Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told newspersons.
He said the decision to observe the centenary of Vande Mataram on September 7 was that of a panel headed by the Prime Minister Crores of patriotic citizens sang Vande Mataram throughout the country braving the opposition secessionists and fundamentalist forces and "the surrender of PM and Mrs Gandhi to these forces." Referring to the decision of the Congress Working Committee to observe centenary of Mahatma Gandhi launching a 'Satyagraha' in South Africa today, Mr Naqvi said the party was now attempting to defend veil on the deliberate absence of its leaders. "They have insulted the emotions and sentiments of patriotic people of the country who sang the song on a day decided by the Government. The Congress cannot act as an ostrich and run away from truth," he said.
About the controversy regarding the dates, he said the dates did not make history but history made dates. The fact wAs that people had observed September seven as Centenary of Vande Mataram and Mrs Gandhi boycotting her sacred national duty would not deter the patriots from singing the National Song, he said.
UNI
Related Stories
Manmohan
Singh,
Sonia
'unfit
to
rule':
Advani
BJP
to
launch
campaign
for
Vande
Mataram:
Naidu
AASU
opts
out
of
'Vande
Mataram'
controversy
'No
fatwa
issued
in
regard
to
Vande
Mataram'