Monsoon Session: Day 2 begins amid Congress-BJP protests over national anthem, Vande Mataram

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Congress, BJP trade allegations over national anthem and Vande Mataram as Assembly session heats up

Shimla, August 22

The second day of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly’s Monsoon Session began amid protests on Saturday, with Congress and BJP MLAs staging demonstrations against each other in the Assembly premises before the House proceedings commenced.

Congress legislators accused the BJP of disrespecting the national anthem, while BJP MLAs alleged that the Congress had disrespected the national song Vande Mataram. Both sides raised slogans and held separate protests, intensifying the political confrontation ahead of the day’s proceedings.

Congress MLAs staged a sit-in protest against the BJP and accused its legislators of disrespecting the national anthem. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri alleged that the Opposition was attempting to turn the Assembly into a political battleground and disrupt the functioning of the House.

Sukhu and Agnihotri said the Opposition had no substantive issues with the government and had therefore raised the demand to sing Vande Mataram immediately after the national anthem the previous day. They said this was not in accordance with Assembly rules and that the national song is traditionally sung at the conclusion of the session.

The Congress leaders said the Assembly functions according to established rules and not through force or disruption. They accused BJP legislators of disrespecting the national anthem and alleged that the Opposition was trying to divert public attention from substantive issues by unnecessarily making Vande Mataram a political issue. They maintained that the Congress respects the national song.

Meanwhile, BJP legislators staged a counter-protest against the ruling party and accused the Congress of disrespecting Vande Mataram. They demanded that the national song be sung in the Assembly and alleged that the Congress had refused.

The BJP MLAs referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address from the Red Fort and alleged that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had decided to sing only two stanzas of Vande Mataram, which they claimed was against the law. They said the Assembly should function according to its rules and not decisions taken by the Congress CWC.

The BJP said it would not tolerate any alleged disrespect towards Vande Mataram and accused the Congress government of undermining democratic institutions.

BJP legislators also raised the issue of the delayed Shimla Zila Parishad elections. They alleged that the elections had not been held even after nearly three months and said the court had now fixed September 10 as the date.

The BJP further alleged that the Deputy Commissioner’s office was functioning like a District Congress Committee office. They questioned the administration’s explanation that the elections could not be held due to the ongoing Assembly session and asked what the Congress government was afraid of.