Even as the singing of Vande Mataram commenced in a novel form on Friday in the Madhya Pradesh capital, Chief Minister Kamal Nath mounted another offensive on the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party by saying that an entity – whose not even a solitary member participated in the nation’s struggle for independence – is attempting to “teach us” a lesson in patriotism.
“Nationalism is in our blood and we do not require a certificate from anybody; when we announced that a creative aspect would be lent to the rendering, the BJP started ‘tutoring’ us,” he told the press here.
Earlier, hundreds of commoners and government officials accompanied the police band from Shaurya Smarak to Mantralaya where the national anthem and the national song were sung.
“It is shameful that not a single person owing allegiance to the BJP was observed at the gathering,” Congress state media Coordinator Narendra Saluja averred in a statement.
During the predecessor BJP dispensation, Vande Mataram was performed at regular intervals in front of Mantralaya(UNI)