Mumbai: A fresh political confrontation erupted in Maharashtra on Friday as the Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of engineering a “needless and unfortunate” controversy around ‘Vande Mataram’. The Opposition claimed that the ruling party was deliberately using the national song to stoke communal divisions and target minority lawmakers.
Addressing reporters, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant alleged that the BJP had turned ‘Vande Mataram’ into a political tool rather than a patriotic expression. According to him, the ruling party’s recent actions were “part of a wider polarisation strategy” aimed at cornering legislators from minority communities.
Sawant highlighted an incident earlier this week in which BJP cadres organised a ‘Vande Mataram’ group-singing demonstration outside the offices of Congress MLAs Aslam Shaikh and Amin Patel. He termed the move a “calculated attempt to intimidate and malign elected representatives”, adding that it exposed the BJP’s intent to create “communal fault lines.”
The Congress leader also took aim at the state government’s recent instruction encouraging Mantralaya officials to answer official phone calls with ‘Vande Mataram’. Sawant argued that the circular “served no administrative purpose” and was merely an “exercise in political theatrics,” claiming that governance had collapsed and the ruling party was depending on symbolic gestures instead of real administration.
Drawing attention to a separate development, Sawant reminded the public that on November 24, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat had issued a reminder to MPs advising them not to use slogans such as ‘Vande Mataram’ or ‘Jai Hind’ within or outside the Parliament premises, citing parliamentary etiquette rules. He called this position a direct contradiction to the BJP’s stand in Maharashtra.
“At one place, they aggressively promote Vande Mataram to divide people, and inside Parliament they impose curbs on the same slogans. What explains this hypocrisy?” Sawant asked. In a sharp attack, he added, “Those who lacked the courage to say Vande Mataram during British rule are now placing restrictions within the temple of democracy.”
