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Way back in 2006, the Congress was mired in controversy over Vande Mataram. Both the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had skipped a CWC and AICC session where Vande Mataram was not sung. The BJP immediately pounced on the Congress, accusing it of pandering to minority votes and disrespecting India’s legacy and history for political gains.

Many among Muslims have objected to Vande Mataram on the grounds that the national song, which was a rallying cry during the freedom movement, pays an ode to the motherland depicted as Goddess Durga — something they believe goes against the basic tenets of Islam, which prohibits idol worship.

At the time, the Congress was caught in a bind. With regional parties like the SP eating into its

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