The BJP on Monday warned the Muslim League against “provoking” the party over the controversy surrounding the suspension of a teacher for a question on VD Savarkar. The party took a swipe at the Congress over the Vande Mataram row, and said, “If that is the case, let them sing the Italian national anthem.”
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the party would not remain silent if the Muslim League, a prominent Congress ally in Kerala whose minister holds the General Education portfolio, tried to “bring back” what he described as an old practice of creating a particular narrative.
“Don't provoke us,” he said, adding that the Muslim League should not interfere in matters concerning Savarkar, whom he described as “an important part of India's freedom struggle”.
Hitting out at the Congress over its government's decision that the full version of Vande Mataram would not be sung in the state, the BJP leader said the national anthem and national song of this country were decided when the government led by the grand old party was in power.
“Then why are the Congress people saying today that we will not sing this stanza, we will not sing that stanza?” he asked after Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan and Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan opposed the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram.
Taking a sharp dig at the Congress over the matter, Chandrasekhar said the national anthem and national song were not matters to be decided according to the convenience of political parties.
“We Indians, the Indians who are citizens of India, will sing it in full, and we will sing the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, in full,” Chandrasekhar said, adding that if the Congress had a problem with it, he could send its leaders a copy of the Italian national anthem.
“If that is the case, let them sing the Italian national anthem,” he told reporters at Thiruvallam near here, in an apparent reference to senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's Italian origin.
Apparently referring to the CPI(M)-led LDF's opposition to singing the full version of Vande Mataram, Chandrasekhar said, “Then let them sing some German song of Karl Marx. We Indians, the Indians who are citizens of India, all of us will sing it in full, and we will sing the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, in full.”
Shortly after Muslim League leader and Kerala General Education Minister N Shamsudheen said disciplinary action would be taken against more teachers if they were found to be involved in the controversial answer in a quiz questionnaire that described Hindutva ideologue Savarkar as the freedom fighter “who received the maximum punishment at the hands of the British”, Chandrasekhar said, “Muslim League should not do any of this.”
“Veer Savarkar is an important part of India's freedom struggle. If you do not like him, you do not like him,” he said, alleging that the Congress government had sidelined freedom fighters Subhas Chandra Bose, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Sardar Patel in the historical narrative. He also criticised the Muslim League ministers in the Congress-led government for allegedly delaying visits to the homes of fishermen who went missing in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram.
“You should do the responsibility that has been entrusted to you. The people gave you votes and put you in power. When you are governing, you should take up your responsibilities and do what needs to be done,” he said.
He also said the BJP's position on remarks attributed to right-wing commentator T G Mohandas was clear, asserting that if the reported remarks were true, his party did not support them.
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