BJP counter-protest continued for an hour and a half at the Ridge ground
The Bharatiya Janata Party legislative party, led by Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, held a counter-protest against the Congress party in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the historic Ridge Maidan in Shimla on Sunday and sang Vande Mataram en masse. Hundreds of BJP MLAs and party workers participated in the event, which lasted for about an hour and a half. During this event, the entire Ridge Maidan resounded with Vande Mataram and other patriotic songs.
Speaking to the media, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said that Vande Mataram has been the inspiration for India’s freedom struggle and a symbol of the sacrifice and dedication of countless freedom fighters. He said that with this slogan, the country’s brave revolutionaries gave new energy to the freedom movement, and many heroes smiled and kissed the noose of the gallows. No compromise can be accepted regarding the respect of such a national anthem.
He said that the BJP legislative party had only requested that the entire Vande Mataram be sung respectfully in the Assembly. He alleged that Vande Mataram was mentioned in the program prepared before the House proceedings, but it was later removed. The BJP raised this issue within the House, but instead of taking a positive stance, the government created a deadlock.
Jai Ram Thakur, citing the Congress party’s historical stance, said that in 1937, the Congress had decided to adopt only certain portions of Vande Mataram. He claimed that Jawaharlal Nehru’s letter to Mohammad Ali Jinnah on April 6, 1938, also mentioned objections to Vande Mataram. He said that in independent India today, the question of respect for the national anthem should be viewed in accordance with national sentiment and constitutional principles, not as a matter of political party decision.
He said that no decision of the Congress Working Committee can be above the country and its democratic institutions. The country runs according to the systems established by the Constitution and Parliament, not by the diktat of any political party. The BJP’s clear view is that Vande Mataram should be treated with complete reverence and respect.
Allegation of insulting the national anthem is completely wrong, Assembly should make the video public: Jairam
The Leader of the Opposition categorically rejected the allegations leveled by Congress leaders against BJP MLAs for disrespecting the national anthem. He stated that during the national anthem in the Assembly, all members of the ruling party and the opposition stood with full respect and joined in the singing. Following this, the opposition demanded the singing of Vande Mataram.
He said that the BJP legislative party has been demanding a video of the assembly proceedings for the past three days. The Speaker of the Assembly has also been met in this regard, and all opposition MLAs have written to the Assembly Secretary demanding the video be made available, but the video has not yet been made available.
Jairam Thakur said that if the Congress’s allegations are true, the full video of the Assembly proceedings should be made public. He said that the BJP is also exploring legal options in this matter and will not shy away from approaching the High Court if necessary.
He said that to send a clear message on this issue, the BJP legislative party gathered before the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on a day the House was not in session and sang Vande Mataram collectively. This event was organized to symbolically convey the message that respect for the national anthem cannot be compromised.
Congress government wants to avoid questions of public interest: Jairam
Jairam Thakur said that the BJP wants a serious discussion on public interest issues in the Assembly. During the Assembly elections, Congress had guaranteed five lakh jobs over five years and one lakh jobs annually. The BJP wants answers from the government on the actual status of this guarantee.
He said that the opposition has talked about running the Question Hour and giving full cooperation in the proceedings of the House, but for the first time in the state such a situation is being seen that the opposition wants to run the House and the MLAs and ministers of the ruling party themselves are going out of the House shouting slogans.
He alleged that the government is avoiding answering questions on unemployment, job guarantees, the state’s economic situation, and other matters of public interest. The opposition, fulfilling its constitutional responsibility, wants to raise these issues in the House, but the ruling party is attempting to avoid discussion.
Ridge Maidan painted in patriotic colours with ‘Rang De Basanti Chola’
During the protest, former BJP state president Satpal Singh Satti energized the workers with patriotic songs, including “Rang De Basanti Chola.” BJP MLAs and workers present enthusiastically joined in the patriotic songs, and the Ridge Maidan reverberated with patriotic slogans and songs.
On this occasion, BJP MLAs Vipin Singh Parmar, Bikram Thakur, Rakesh Jamwal, Trilok Jamwal, Sudhir Sharma, Ashish Sharma, and Pawan Kajal, along with members of the BJP legislative party, and hundreds of party workers were present. All expressed their respect and reverence for the national anthem by participating in the mass singing of Vande Mataram.
