New Delhi, Aug. 20 -- On the 82nd birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday recalled his association with the late leader and his entry into the party.

Speaking to ANI, Chowdhury shared a nostalgic memory of his political beginnings and said, "I had joined Congress in 1991 in the presence of Rajiv Gandhi ji."

He also responded to the BJP's allegation that the Congress was indulging in appeasement politics over its resolution on Vande Mataram. Chowdhury rejected the charge and said, "We are not appeasing anyone." His remark comes a day after the CWC decided that only the first two stanzas of the national song would be sung at party events, citing the party's own 1937 resol...