Jairam Ramesh Responds To BJP Claim Over Sonia Gandhi And 'Vande Mataram'
Listen to the story
A political argument has started in India between the BJP and the Congress party. It is about a video from the Congress headquarters.
In the video, the full version of the song "Vande Mataram" was played. This song has a special place in India's history and independence movement.
The BJP shared the video online and made a claim. It said that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi looked uncomfortable while the song was playing.
The BJP also asked whether Sonia Gandhi tried to stop Congress workers from singing along with the song.
This claim quickly became a topic of debate on social media and in the news.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh responded to the BJP's question on behalf of his party.
He gave a reply that pushed back against the BJP's version of events, according to Congress.
The exact details of what happened in the video have become a matter of dispute between the two parties.
Political rivals in India often use small moments like this to attack each other.
Vande Mataram remains a sensitive topic, since both major parties claim to respect its history.
This is not the first time BJP and Congress have argued over symbols connected to national pride.
The story shows how a short video clip can quickly turn into a bigger political controversy.
Vocabulary10 words
- BJP
- a major political party in India
- Congress
- another major political party in India
- headquarters
- the main office of an organisation
- Vande Mataram
- a historic Indian patriotic song
- uncomfortable
- not feeling relaxed or at ease
- Jairam Ramesh
- a senior Congress party leader
- reply
- an official answer to a claim
- rivals
- groups competing against each other
- controversy
- a public disagreement about something
- claim
- a statement said to be true, sometimes disputed
Quiz
Answer key
1. BJP and Congress 2. That she looked uncomfortable during the song 3. Yes
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A political argument has started in India between the BJP and the _____ party.
In the video, the full version of the song "_____" was played.
This song has a special place in India's history and _____ movement.
The BJP shared the video online and made a _____.
It said that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi looked _____ while the song was playing.
The BJP also asked whether Sonia Gandhi tried to _____ Congress workers from singing.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh _____ to the BJP's question on behalf of his party.
He gave a reply that pushed back against the BJP's _____ of events.
Political _____ in India often use small moments like this to attack each other.
The story shows how a short video clip can quickly turn into a bigger political _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think symbols like national songs become political issues?
- Have you seen political parties argue over similar small moments in your country?
- Do you think social media makes such controversies bigger or smaller?
- Why might a song with historical importance cause disagreement between parties?