Arjun Singh made scapegoat on Vande Mataram issue, Naidu

Ranchi, Sep 12 (UNI) The BJP today reiterated that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi did not ''deliberately'' take part in the centenary celebration of Vande Mataram only to 'appease' the fundamentalist groups.

Party's national vice-president Venkaiah Naidu, addressing a press conference here, responded to the Congress spokesperson, assertion that September seven had nothing to do with the national song, by noting that since September 7, 2005 to September, 2006 when preparations for the centenary celebration were on, the UPA government never came up with such a statement, but as Ms Gandhi and Mr Singh did not take part in the programme on September 7, the Congress spokesperson made such a claim.

''It meant that both the top leaders of the UPA decided to abstain from the function just to 'appease the fundamentalist groups' keeping in mind the vote bank,'' Mr Naidu said, adding the whole blame had fallen on Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh.

Muslims did not object to reciting the song, but the fundamentalists refused to do so, he alleged.

He said the Centre should come up with actual date of the composition of the song adding they kept the country in dark till September 7.

He said the BJP at its Dehradoon conclave had decided to launch awareness programme on the song in three phases from September 25 to January 26.

UNI PRS KK VD BS1948