"Congress Only Sings Party Song": Kiren Rijiju's Dig On Vande Mataram Row

The Congress used to sing Vande Mataram in full and now they only sing the party song, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said today in a jibe at the main opposition party amid the controversy over the national song. "The Congress party used to have full Vande Mataram singing in the past. Maybe later on they changed their stand, he told NDTV in an exclusive interview. Now, they "sing only the Congress song. They don't sing national song in the Congress party. But that was wrong," he added.

His comments came in the backdrop of a video of the national song being played that sparked controversy.

The clips from the Congress's Independence Day event showed Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge gesticulating while Vande Mataram was being performed.

The BJP claimed that Sonia Gandhi had "expressed displeasure at singing the full version... The entire country witnessed this on live telecast".

The Congress countered it, saying she was only asking the office staff to bring a chair for 84-year-old party chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

Rijiju said the national song or national anthem cannot be politicised, because "these are the essence and the spirit of our nation. And everybody must sing it... the government has decided that full Vande Matram must be sung, why should anybody have any objection?".

"With regards to the controversy in the Congress office... She was trying, she was telling that she was looking for a chair to make Kharge ji sit. But I think one must see the entire proceedings... then one will understand that Sonia Gandhiji seemed to be agitated that the full song was being played. And Rahul ji probably had said something that no need to sing," he said.

"Dimagi Naxals" Not Congress

Rijiju, however, clarified that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Deemagi Naxal" comment was not directed at the Congress.
"The Prime Minister has very clearly referred that the armed Naxal is almost extinct. The dimaagi Naxals still exist and we have to tackle them. If any opposition leader or any Indian feels that it is addressed towards him, then he must be a Naxal or dimaagi Naxal," he said.

PM Modi, he said, has made a very clear statement that the armed struggle of the Naxals must be put to end. Amit Shah said the armed Maoist movement is almost done.

"They are no more a threat to the nation. But however, some intellectuals who propagate the Maoist ideology, the Naxalism, they are still available in some of the urban areas. That is what PM Modi had referred to," he added.

CJP Protests "Peaceful" But 

Asked about the protests spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party, Rijiju said one should recall how the Congress used to handle protests in its time. "By firing bullets. Peaceful protesters were killed. Hundreds and hundreds of people were killed during Congress time," he said. 

"This time when this cockroach party had taken out this kind of a protest, it was absolutely peaceful. Not a single lathi charge, nothing. When they tried to use the students to further their political agenda, then there were some disturbances, but still the police and the administration was absolutely professional in handling the entire thing," he said. 

"It is only when they forcefully tried to march towards parliament house, then police physically prevented them. Obviously, you can't allow them to run into parliament and burn down the entire parliament house," he added.