Chennai, Dec 9 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Members of Parliament Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, accusing the Congress leadership of “deliberately insulting national sentiment” by walking out of the Lok Sabha during a special discussion marking the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram.

In a strongly worded statement, TN BJP spokesperson A.N.S. Prasad alleged that the Congress walkout from the Lok Sabha during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address on Monday amounted to a rejection of a sacred symbol of India’s freedom struggle.

The party said the act was not a routine parliamentary protest but a “conscious political statement” that hurt the sentiments of millions of Indians.

The Prime Minister’s speech had focused on the historical and cultural significance of ‘Vande Mataram’, tracing its role in awakening national consciousness during the freedom movement.

PM Modi described the song as a unifying force that transcended caste, region, and language, and played a vital role in mobilising people against British rule.

Composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, ‘Vande Mataram’ was first sung at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress and later became a war cry for generations of freedom fighters.

It was closely associated with the soldiers of the Indian National Army and revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, who embraced it as a symbol of sacrifice and resistance.

The TN BJP alleged that the Congress party has historically displayed “unease” with explicit expressions of Indian nationalism and cited the walkout as a continuation of that ideological discomfort.

The party further claimed that the absence of the Leader of the Opposition during such a milestone discussion undermined the spirit of parliamentary tradition.

Responding to the criticism, Congress sources defended the walkout, stating that it was part of a broader protest against what they termed as the government’s “selective appropriation” of national symbols and the shrinking of space for dissent in Parliament. The party insisted that its respect for the freedom struggle and the Constitution remains unwavering.

Political observers see the controversy as another flashpoint in the ongoing ideological confrontation between the BJP and the Congress over nationalism, history, and symbolism.

–IANS

aal/svn