India's National Song Saga: A Tale of Two Parties' Politics The controversy surrounding Vande Mataram at the Congress's Independence Day event has exposed a long standing issue in Indian politics – the delicate balance between nationalism and party loyalty.
The BJP has seized on what it perceives as the Congress's disrespect towards the national song, while the opposition party has pushed back with its own narrative of historical context and tradition.
The BJP's reaction appears to be a calculated move to score political points by painting Sonia Gandhi as an enemy of Vande Mataram.