Vande Mataram Row: Congress sticks to two stanzas; BJP mounts appeasement attack

NEW DELHI: Is the Congress trying to send out a subtle message signalling “soft minority appeasement”? Or has the party played to BJP’s strength by lapping up a controversy that may push it into a corner?The Congress's decision to sing only two stanzas of Vande Mataram at party events signalled a rare hardening of stance on an issue that the party knows could make it vulnerable to attacks over both minority appeasement and nationalism.As expected, the Congress decision, which cited a 1937 resolution, triggered sharp reactions from the BJP, with Union home minister Amit Shah accusing the Congress of repeating "politics of appeasement."Union Minister JP Nadda also slammed the Congress, alleging that the party's 1937 resolution was driven by "appeasement politics" and contributed to the circumstances that led to the Partition.