Union Home Minister Amit Shah has accused Congress leader Sonia Gandhi of insulting the national song Vande Mataram, saying the country will not forgive her, according to NDTV. The remarks come amid a fresh political clash between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress over the issue.
Shah's comments were reported by NDTV on Sunday, following a series of exchanges between the two parties. The Home Minister's attack on Gandhi appears to be part of a broader effort by the BJP to put the Congress on the defensive over national symbols and patriotism.
The Congress has rejected the charge outright. According to The Times of India, the party said Shah was "diverting attention" from more pressing issues. The Hindu reported that Congress leaders dismissed the Vande Mataram allegation as a "political diversion," while Telegraph India noted that the party accused Shah of using the demand for an apology to mask the government's failures.
The row has also drawn in other BJP leaders. NDTV reported that Kiren Rijiju, a senior minister, clarified remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about "Dimangi Naxal," saying the comment was not aimed at any particular community or individual. Rijiju's clarification suggests the government is trying to manage multiple controversies at once.
The dispute over Vande Mataram is the latest in a series of confrontations between the ruling party and the opposition. The Congress has consistently accused the BJP of using nationalist rhetoric to distract from issues like unemployment and inflation, a point reiterated in its response to Shah.
What to watch next: Whether the Congress will escalate its counterattack or shift focus to economic issues ahead of upcoming state elections.
