Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. JAMMU: BJP Jammu and Kashmir Spokesperson Gaurav Gupta on Monday came out in strong defence of school students who sang the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) anthem “Gana Geetham” during the flagging-off ceremony of the Ernakulam–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, terming the Kerala government’s reaction as “politically motivated, anti-national, and a reflection of ideological intolerance.”
Reacting sharply to Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty’s decision to order an inquiry into the incident, Gupta said the move was an “insult to the very spirit of nationalism” and “proof that the Left government has completely lost its moral compass.” “Calling a patriotic song a constitutional violation is ridiculous and shameful. These are children singing about Bharat Mata, the Congress and Left must explain what exactly they find offensive about that,” Gupta said.
“Bharat Mata Ki Jai is not confined to any religion or political party. It is a chant of pure patriotism,” Gaurav said, hitting out at the Kerala Government and Congress for politicising national pride. “Why turn patriotism into controversy? Chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai is about love and respect for the motherland not about politics or ideology. Every Indian should feel proud, not hesitant, to say it,” he added.
Gupta called it “shameful and unfortunate” that parties like Congress were questioning a patriotic song dedicated to the nation, and accused them of trying to divide society over nationalism. He accused the Kerala Government and the Congress Party of “suffering from a chronic allergy to anything that celebrates India’s heritage and pride.”
“For them, anything not stamped by their ideology becomes communal, this mindset is dangerous and divisive,” he added. Gaurav said the Congress, by backing the Kerala Government’s reaction, had “once again exposed its anti-national mindset and anti-Hindu bias.” “Congress is no longer the party of freedom fighters, it has turned into a confused alliance of appeasement and pseudo-secularism. Supporting this controversy only shows how far it has fallen,” he said.
Gupta further stated that singing patriotic songs should unite citizens, not divide them along ideological lines. “When children sing for the Motherland, it’s a moment of pride. But Congress and the Left see nationalism as a threat that’s their real problem,” he remarked. He added that patriotism is not the monopoly of any organisation, including the RSS. “Those opposing such songs are the ones truly disrespecting the Constitution and the idea of India,” Gupta said.
Taking a dig at senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, who wrote to the Railway Minister seeking an explanation, Gupta said, “Instead of appreciating children’s devotion, Congress leaders are busy writing letters to stop patriotic songs. This shows how hollow their commitment to the nation really is.”
Gupta urged political leaders to “rise above petty politics” and allow India’s young generation to “sing freely for their nation without fear or ideological policing.” “The BJP stands with every child who sings for Bharat Mata and against every political force that tries to silence that voice,” he asserted.
