Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A routine government function in Maharashtra’s Thane took an unexpected turn when attendees stood up for Vande Mataram, only to hear a Lata Mangeshkar rendition from the Bollywood film Pukar instead of the scheduled version of the national song.
The unusual mix-up, which left Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other dignitaries standing for nearly four minutes, has since gone viral on social media, prompting an apology from Shinde.
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No one from the stage or the audience immediately intervened as the song played. Shinde and the other dignitaries on stage, along with those in the audience, remained standing. Shinde appeared to realise that the wrong track had been played but continued to observe the decorum of the event.
The song played for around four minutes before it ended and the programme resumed. Shinde later apologised from the stage for the mix-up and directed the officials and organisers to ensure that such an error was not repeated.
A video of the incident has since gone viral on social media, drawing attention to the unusual mix-up at the government function and the lapses in its audio arrangements.
The incident comes days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi of objecting to the complete rendition of Vande Mataram at the party headquarters in New Delhi on August 15, and demanded an apology from the Congress.
Addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh on Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader claimed that the Congress had insulted the national song during its Independence Day celebrations, attributing the party’s alleged opposition to the song to “greed for votes”.
“Look at their shamelessness. Vande Mataram was being sung at the Congress headquarters. During the singing, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi told the Congress president to stop,” Shah said.
“We all just kept watching on TV… Sonia ji, 140 crore people are watching you. This sin you have committed will never be forgiven by the people of this country. How can anyone even dream of leaving Vande Mataram incomplete? The people of Congress should feel ashamed,” he added.
However, the Congress denied the charge, asserting that there was no attempt to stop the singing of the full version of the national song and Gandhi was only asking for a chair for party chief Mallikarjun Kharge as he was standing for a while.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
