Chennai, Aug. 23 -- BJP National Spokesperson CR Kesavan on Saturday criticised the Congress over its resolution to sing only the first two stanzas at party events, saying that the opposition party has always undermined the importance of the national song.

Speaking to ANI, Kesavan said, "The original Vande Mataram, written in 1875, was the soul of our freedom movement. Nehru's Congress systematically whitewashed and erased our national song from our national memory and public discourse. Today, Rahul Gandhi's Congress is committing the same betrayal against Vande Mataram, and Sonia Gandhi's unpardonable act of insulting Vande Mataram only reflects the chronic communal mindset of the Congress Party."

Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee,...