Kolkata/New Delhi9 minutes ago
BJP MLA and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s descendant Sumitro Chatterjee has asked Sonia Gandhi to issue an unconditional apology.
He alleged that Sonia had gestured to stop the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ at the Congress headquarters on Independence Day.
Chatterjee claimed there was discomfort over singing the full version of ‘Vande Mataram’ and that repeated attempts were made to stop it.
In a letter to Sonia Gandhi, Chatterjee, the BJP MLA from Naihati, described himself as an ordinary citizen, a patriot and a direct descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
He said the incident had left him deeply hurt, angry and upset.
First, watch the video clip from Congress headquarters
Chatterjee said – Congress repeated a historic mistake
Chatterjee wrote that the incident on 15 August was not only unfortunate but also amounted to “shamelessly repeating a historic mistake”.
He referred to Sri Aurobindo’s description of ‘Vande Mataram’ as a mantra that inspired the country towards the “religion of patriotism”.
He said the alleged reluctance to sing the complete song on the soil of independent India was an insult to the sacrifices of freedom fighters such as Khudiram Bose.
Enumerated the role of Vande Mataram in the freedom struggle
Chatterjee said ‘Vande Mataram’ played an important role in India’s freedom struggle. He pointed out that Sarala Devi Chaudhurani recited it at the 1905 Banaras session of the Congress.
He said supporters of Bal Gangadhar Tilak sang ‘Vande Mataram’ during his sedition trial in 1909. In 1938, nationalist students at Osmania University in Hyderabad also used it as a slogan despite restrictions imposed by the Nizam.
Chatterjee also referred to Rabindranath Tagore singing ‘Vande Mataram’ at the 1896 Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.
Questioned Congress’s ‘double standards’
Chatterjee alleged that Congress’s “double standards” were not new. He said the party shortened the song in October 1937 after objections from Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
He claimed that the same compromise was once again visible in the Congress’s current conduct.
Chatterjee also referred to the slogan used by Chhatra Parishad, the student organisation of the West Bengal Congress.
He said the group uses the slogan, ‘Mantra Moder Sanjivan, Vande Mataram’, and questioned why the party’s top leadership was uncomfortable with the same song.
Vande Mataram is not the property of any one party
Chatterjee said ‘Vande Mataram’ does not belong to any one political party. He described it as a sacred national symbol rooted in the country’s collective memory, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s legacy and the sacrifices of freedom fighters.
He said respecting the song means respecting the history of India’s freedom struggle. Chatterjee warned that history does not forgive anyone.
He said leaders who fail to respect their own symbols of freedom risk being forgotten by history.
Chatterjee said the incident had deeply hurt the sentiments of people in West Bengal.
He urged Sonia Gandhi to reflect on the matter and issue an unconditional apology to all Indians, especially the people of West Bengal.
