Himachal Pradesh Revenue, Horticulture and Tribal Development Minister Jagat Singh Negi on Friday accused the BJP of using the Vande Mataram controversy to shift attention from issues such as corruption, unemployment, inflation, alleged exam paper leaks, farmers’ problems and the crisis in the state’s apple industry.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the first day of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly’s monsoon session, Negi said there were several important issues that needed discussion in the House. However, he alleged that the BJP was instead trying to create what he called “fake nationalism”.
“There are no shortages of issues. Corruption is a very big issue. The NEET paper-selling case, the treatment meted out to students, including the alleged use of soldiers armed with AK-47s and lathis fitted with nails, are very serious issues,” Negi said.
He said several other matters also needed attention, including the problems faced by farmers and young people, rising prices, unemployment, alleged border incursions and China’s occupation of territory.
Negi also highlighted the difficulties faced by Himachal Pradesh’s apple growers. He said the apple industry is a key part of the state’s economy and is currently going through a difficult phase.
“Here in Himachal, the apple industry is facing a very big crisis. Our apple business is worth Rs 5,000 crore,” he said. He claimed that lower import duties on products such as apples from New Zealand were putting additional pressure on local growers.
“The duty on apples from New Zealand, which was earlier 50 per cent, has been reduced to 25 per cent. That is a major issue,” he said. Negi also raised the issue of public sector undertakings and accused the Union government of allowing corruption to grow on an unprecedented scale.
He questioned the management of money collected through the PM CARES Fund. Negi claimed that around Rs 9,000 crore, along with interest, was lying in the fund and alleged that it had not been brought under the Right to Information Act.
Coming back to the Vande Mataram controversy in the Assembly, Negi accused the BJP of turning the issue into a political tool and using nationalism to distract from other matters.
He questioned why there was a need to change or add to the established practice surrounding national symbols.
“Where was the need to add another stanza to it? Why is an attempt being made to move it away from secularism and use it to advance the agenda of a particular political party?” Negi said.
Negi said Vande Mataram had played an important role in India’s freedom movement and had inspired generations of freedom fighters. He mentioned leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad while highlighting the role of patriotic songs during the freedom struggle.
The minister said there was no question of refusing to sing the National Song. However, he maintained that there was a set procedure for when different national songs and symbols were used in the Assembly.
“Who has refused to sing the National Song? Every song has its own time to be sung. Our Assembly also has its rules. The National Anthem is sung on the first day and the National Song is sung at the conclusion of every session,” Negi said.
He accused the BJP of deliberately creating a dispute over a practice that, according to him, had been followed since the Himachal Pradesh Assembly was established.
Negi also alleged that the disruption stopped the House from paying tribute to former legislators who had died between two Assembly sittings. “For the first time in the history of Himachal, in this 16th session, an obituary reference was not allowed. If a sitting or former member dies between two sittings, there is a tradition of paying tribute. Even that was not allowed today,” he alleged. He said preventing the obituary references was disrespectful to the former legislators who had passed away.
The House was adjourned for the day after a heated exchange between the treasury benches and the Opposition over the Vande Mataram issue.
Negi also criticised the BJP over its ideological association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Referring to former Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Rajiv Bindal, Negi alleged that Bindal had openly spoken about his association with the RSS while holding the Speaker’s post.
“When Bindal was Speaker, what kind of Speaker he was is not hidden from anyone. He stood there and said, ‘I am an RSS man’,” Negi said. Negi then questioned the RSS’s ideological background and made several historical allegations about its symbols and role during the freedom movement.
“These are the people who were against the country’s Independence and today proudly say that they belong to the RSS,” he alleged. He accused the BJP of being under political pressure and claimed that the party was using nationalism to try to regain lost ground.
“They feel that the ground beneath them has slipped. To regain that ground, they raise the slogan of fake nationalism,” he said. Negi’s comments came amid a growing confrontation between the Congress government and BJP in the Himachal Assembly over the National Anthem and Vande Mataram. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has accused BJP MLAs of disrespecting the National Anthem, while the BJP has alleged that Vande Mataram was disrespected.
Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania later adjourned the House for the day. He said the established practice was to open the session with the National Anthem and end it with the National Song.
The controversy is likely to remain a major point of confrontation during the monsoon session, with both Congress and BJP accusing each other of politicising national symbols and diverting attention from public issues.
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