Bankim descendant seeks Sonia apology over ‘Vande Mataram’ row

BJP
MLA
Sumit o
Chatte jee,
a
desce da t
of
Ba kim
Cha d a
Chattopadhyay,
dema ded
a
apology
f om
So ia
Ga dhi
ove
‘Va de
Mat am’
ow

NEW
DELHI:
The
ow
ove
the
full
e ditio
of
Va de
Mata am
at
the
Co g ess
headqua te s
o
I depe de ce
Day
acqui ed
a
Ba kim
Cha d a
co ectio
o ,
with
BJP’s
Naihati
MLA
Sumit o
Chatte jee,
a
di ect
desce da t
of
the
atio al
so g’s
autho ,
w iti g
to
So ia
Ga dhi
o
Satu day
a d
dema di g
a
u co ditio al
apology
to
the
cou t y,
pa ticula ly
West
Be gal.The
co t ove sy
e upted
afte
a
video
f om
the
Co g ess’s
August
15
fu ctio
showed
So ia
gestu i g
a d
speaki g
to
pa ty
p eside t
Mallika ju
Kha ge
while
the
full
ve sio
of
Va de
Mata am
was
bei g
su g.
BJP
leade s
alleged
she
was
t yi g
to
have
the
e ditio
stopped
afte
the
ope i g
sta zas.
Co g ess
ejected
the
cha ge,
sayi g
So ia
was
o ly
aski g
that
a
chai
be
b ought
fo
Kha ge,
who
had
bee
sta di g
fo
some
time.I
his
lette
i
Hi di,
Chatte jee
said
the
episode
had
left
him
with
“deep
pai ,
empti ess
a d
a guish”,
allegi g
that
So ia’s
“physical
gestu es”
eflected
“u ease,
impatie ce
a d
epeated
attempts
to
stop”
the
so g.
He
said
the
eactio
hu t
him
ot
o ly
as
a
citize
but
as
a
di ect
desce da t
of
Ba kim
Cha d a
Chattopadhyay.

I voki g
the
so g’s
place
i
the
f eedom
moveme t,
Chatte jee
efe ed
to
S i
Au obi do,
Khudi am
Bose,
Bipi
Cha d a
Pal
a d
Bal
Ga gadha
Tilak,
a d
said
ge e atio s
of
f eedom
fighte s
had
allied
a ou d
Va de
Mata am.

“Va de
Mata am
is
ot
the
a cest al
p ope ty
of
a y
political
pa ty.
It
is
the
collective
memo y
of
the
atio ,
Ba kim
Cha d a’s
ete al
legacy
a d
a
sac ed
atio al
symbol
sa ctified
by
the
blood
a d
sac ifice
of
lakhs
of
ma ty s,”
he
w ote.Chatte jee
also
poi ted
to
the
full
six-sta za
e ditio
i
Lok
Sabha
o
August
13,
atte ded
by
leade s
f om
both
gove me t
a d
Oppositio ,
a d
asked
why
the e
should
be
“hesitatio
a d
discomfo t”
ove
the
same
so g
at
the
Co g ess
headqua te s.
He
sought
a
“u co ditio al
a d
public
apology”
f om
So ia.