Poor coordination, communication: Behind Vande Mataram row at Congress HQ on I-Day
The controversy erupted after Sonia Gandhi was seen gesturing as the rendition of Vande Mataram continued beyond the second stanza. The BJP alleged that her gesture showed the Congress had disrespected the national song.
The Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony at the Congress headquarters, Indira Bhawan, resulted in an embarrassing moment for the party’s top leadership, with the confusion over the full rendition of Vande Mataram spiralling into a political controversy.
According to Congress sources, the scenes witnessed on August 15 were the result of poor coordination and a failure by the officials organising the event to inform senior leaders about changes to the programme.
The controversy erupted after Sonia Gandhi was seen gesturing as the rendition of Vande Mataram continued beyond the second stanza. The BJP alleged that her gesture showed the Congress had disrespected the national song.
The Congress rejected the charge, maintaining that Sonia Gandhi was asking for a chair for party president Mallikarjun Kharge and had not objected to the song. Party leaders publicly rebutted suggestions that she had raised any issue over the full rendition of Vande Mataram.
TOP LEADERS ‘NOT INFORMED’
According to a senior Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh and the office of the Congress president had discussed the rendition of Vande Mataram days before the event.
It was decided that the national song would be sung in full. However, the decision was apparently not communicated to Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, leaving them unaware of the change during the ceremony.
Former Seva Dal chief Lalji Desai was seen speaking to Sonia Gandhi after she gestured when the song continued into its third stanza.
India Today has learnt that a rehearsal of the programme and its sequence was conducted a day before the ceremony. However, senior leaders were not briefed about crucial details or changes to the event flow, sources said.
QUESTIONS OVER EVENT MANAGEMENT
According to the party’s protocol arrangement, administrative officer Manish Chatrath is responsible for overseeing events at Indira Bhawan. He was also seen in the background when Sonia Gandhi made the gesture.
Such events and matters concerning the party headquarters are broadly overseen by the treasurer and the general secretary (organisation).
Congress treasurer Ajay Maken was standing to Rahul Gandhi’s right during the ceremony, while general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal was in Kerala.
The episode has caused frustration within the Congress, with some leaders describing it as an unnecessary and avoidable embarrassment for the senior leadership.
A source told India Today that Rahul Gandhi was upset over the incident and the failure to keep him informed. It was not immediately clear what position he had taken on the decision to sing the full version.
No Congress leader was willing to comment officially on the internal coordination issues.
CONGRESS CITES 1937 RESOLUTION
Jairam Ramesh said the Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution in 1937 to sing the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, based on a recommendation by Rabindranath Tagore.
A senior party leader argued that the Congress could have taken a clear ideological position on the matter had the issue been properly discussed with the top leadership.
“The Congress has followed the path of Gandhi, and civil disobedience was a tool mastered by him in the ideological battle. We could have drawn an ideological line, but apparently the matter was not even properly taken up with the top leadership before the event,” the leader said.
The Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony at the Congress headquarters, Indira Bhawan, resulted in an embarrassing moment for the party’s top leadership, with the confusion over the full rendition of Vande Mataram spiralling into a political controversy.
According to Congress sources, the scenes witnessed on August 15 were the result of poor coordination and a failure by the officials organising the event to inform senior leaders about changes to the programme.
The controversy erupted after Sonia Gandhi was seen gesturing as the rendition of Vande Mataram continued beyond the second stanza. The BJP alleged that her gesture showed the Congress had disrespected the national song.
The Congress rejected the charge, maintaining that Sonia Gandhi was asking for a chair for party president Mallikarjun Kharge and had not objected to the song. Party leaders publicly rebutted suggestions that she had raised any issue over the full rendition of Vande Mataram.
TOP LEADERS ‘NOT INFORMED’
According to a senior Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh and the office of the Congress president had discussed the rendition of Vande Mataram days before the event.
It was decided that the national song would be sung in full. However, the decision was apparently not communicated to Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, leaving them unaware of the change during the ceremony.
Former Seva Dal chief Lalji Desai was seen speaking to Sonia Gandhi after she gestured when the song continued into its third stanza.
India Today has learnt that a rehearsal of the programme and its sequence was conducted a day before the ceremony. However, senior leaders were not briefed about crucial details or changes to the event flow, sources said.
QUESTIONS OVER EVENT MANAGEMENT
According to the party’s protocol arrangement, administrative officer Manish Chatrath is responsible for overseeing events at Indira Bhawan. He was also seen in the background when Sonia Gandhi made the gesture.
Such events and matters concerning the party headquarters are broadly overseen by the treasurer and the general secretary (organisation).
Congress treasurer Ajay Maken was standing to Rahul Gandhi’s right during the ceremony, while general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal was in Kerala.
The episode has caused frustration within the Congress, with some leaders describing it as an unnecessary and avoidable embarrassment for the senior leadership.
A source told India Today that Rahul Gandhi was upset over the incident and the failure to keep him informed. It was not immediately clear what position he had taken on the decision to sing the full version.
No Congress leader was willing to comment officially on the internal coordination issues.
CONGRESS CITES 1937 RESOLUTION
Jairam Ramesh said the Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution in 1937 to sing the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, based on a recommendation by Rabindranath Tagore.
A senior party leader argued that the Congress could have taken a clear ideological position on the matter had the issue been properly discussed with the top leadership.
“The Congress has followed the path of Gandhi, and civil disobedience was a tool mastered by him in the ideological battle. We could have drawn an ideological line, but apparently the matter was not even properly taken up with the top leadership before the event,” the leader said.
The Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony at the Congress headquarters, Indira Bhawan, resulted in an embarrassing moment for the party’s top leadership, with the confusion over the full rendition of Vande Mataram spiralling into a political controversy.
According to Congress sources, the scenes witnessed on August 15 were the result of poor coordination and a failure by the officials organising the event to inform senior leaders about changes to the programme.
The controversy erupted after Sonia Gandhi was seen gesturing as the rendition of Vande Mataram continued beyond the second stanza. The BJP alleged that her gesture showed the Congress had disrespected the national song.
The Congress rejected the charge, maintaining that Sonia Gandhi was asking for a chair for party president Mallikarjun Kharge and had not objected to the song. Party leaders publicly rebutted suggestions that she had raised any issue over the full rendition of Vande Mataram.
TOP LEADERS ‘NOT INFORMED’
According to a senior Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh and the office of the Congress president had discussed the rendition of Vande Mataram days before the event.
It was decided that the national song would be sung in full. However, the decision was apparently not communicated to Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, leaving them unaware of the change during the ceremony.
Former Seva Dal chief Lalji Desai was seen speaking to Sonia Gandhi after she gestured when the song continued into its third stanza.
India Today has learnt that a rehearsal of the programme and its sequence was conducted a day before the ceremony. However, senior leaders were not briefed about crucial details or changes to the event flow, sources said.
QUESTIONS OVER EVENT MANAGEMENT
According to the party’s protocol arrangement, administrative officer Manish Chatrath is responsible for overseeing events at Indira Bhawan. He was also seen in the background when Sonia Gandhi made the gesture.
Such events and matters concerning the party headquarters are broadly overseen by the treasurer and the general secretary (organisation).
Congress treasurer Ajay Maken was standing to Rahul Gandhi’s right during the ceremony, while general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal was in Kerala.
The episode has caused frustration within the Congress, with some leaders describing it as an unnecessary and avoidable embarrassment for the senior leadership.
A source told India Today that Rahul Gandhi was upset over the incident and the failure to keep him informed. It was not immediately clear what position he had taken on the decision to sing the full version.
No Congress leader was willing to comment officially on the internal coordination issues.
CONGRESS CITES 1937 RESOLUTION
Jairam Ramesh said the Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution in 1937 to sing the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, based on a recommendation by Rabindranath Tagore.
A senior party leader argued that the Congress could have taken a clear ideological position on the matter had the issue been properly discussed with the top leadership.
“The Congress has followed the path of Gandhi, and civil disobedience was a tool mastered by him in the ideological battle. We could have drawn an ideological line, but apparently the matter was not even properly taken up with the top leadership before the event,” the leader said.
