Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday accused BJP MLAs of disrespecting the National Anthem in the Assembly on the opening day of the monsoon session. He alleged that the Opposition created a controversy over the singing of Vande Mataram to shift focus from issues such as paper leaks, alleged financial irregularities and corruption.
The row broke out in the House on the first day of the session over the singing of Vande Mataram. Questions were raised over the order in which the National Anthem and National Song were to be performed, leading to a heated exchange between Congress and BJP members.
Expressing strong disappointment, Sukhu alleged that the BJP legislators had shown disrespect towards the National Anthem. He said it was unfortunate that the BJP had allegedly insulted the National Anthem inside the House and added that such behaviour was unexpected from the party.
According to Sukhu, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania tried to explain the matter to the Opposition members, but they did not accept his explanation. He said the Speaker then went ahead with the National Anthem. Sukhu added that Vande Mataram, as the National Song, also holds an important place in the country's history and traditions.
The Chief Minister said neither the BJP nor its Himachal Pradesh unit had any right to disrespect the National Anthem. He claimed that the people would not forgive such behaviour.
Sukhu said disrespecting the National Anthem was a serious matter and alleged that the BJP would have to face public reaction over the issue.
Explaining what happened, Sukhu said parliamentary tradition requires the National Anthem to be sung first, followed by the National Song. He said the Himachal Pradesh Assembly had also planned to sing Vande Mataram after the National Anthem.
He said Vande Mataram was an important national song and was regularly sung at Congress party programmes as well. He added that the Speaker could confirm this.
Sukhu further alleged that the BJP was trying to turn the issue into a controversy to draw attention away from other matters concerning the party. He claimed the BJP wanted to shift the focus from paper leak cases, alleged irregularities related to donations and other corruption-related issues.
Calling the incident an unhealthy precedent, Sukhu appealed to political leaders to show restraint when dealing with matters connected to national symbols. He said it was unfortunate that such a controversy had taken place and expressed hope that the Himachal BJP leadership would show better judgment in the future.
The dispute over Vande Mataram dominated the proceedings on the opening day of the monsoon session and led to sharp arguments between the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP.
The issue is likely to add to the already tense political atmosphere in the Assembly, where the Congress government and BJP are expected to clash over several major issues during the session.
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