Kollam: AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Sunday said the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at the AICC office in New Delhi on Independence Day was a matter of communication and alleged that the BJP was using it to divert attention from real issues.
He was speaking to reporters after attending an event at Karunagappally here.
Asked about the full version of Vande Mataram being sung at the AICC office despite the Congress having objected to it, the Alappuzha MP said it was "not an issue" and described it as "a matter of communication".
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"The Congress party has a clear stance on this. Vande Mataram came into being after consultations with Mahatma Gandhi, involving Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Rabindranath Tagore," he said.
Venugopal alleged that the BJP was raising the Vande Mataram issue with a divisive agenda.
"We are people who respect Vande Mataram. We equally respect Jana Gana Mana, the national anthem. If they are talking about respecting the nation, first ask them to reclaim the land in Arunachal Pradesh. Our own land is being taken away, despite all the claims made by a person with a 56-inch chest," he said, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Not a single word is spoken about it. This is the real controversy," he said.
Venugopal alleged that the BJP was attempting to divert attention from real issues facing the country.
"They use pellet guns against the students of this country to divert attention from the real issues. They want the issue of the theft of funds regarding the Ayodhya Ram Temple not to be discussed. We are not prepared to fall for any controversy created for that purpose," he said.
He alleged that there was a deliberate attempt to push real issues aside and drive people towards sentiments provoked by communalism and casteism.
"Just because a rabbit was once killed when a jackfruit fell from a tree doesn't mean a jackfruit will fall every time, nor will a rabbit die every time," he said.
On the KPCC reshuffle, Venugopal said the party would take a decision.
"It is true that current KPCC president Sunny Joseph, who is also a minister, wants to be relieved from the post. But he remains the incumbent KPCC president. The party will take the decision," he said.
The Congress is considering a KPCC reshuffle after several office-bearers were elected as MLAs or inducted into the Cabinet following the party's victory in the recent Assembly election.
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