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BJP, BSP fight over ‘poor’ sound quality of Vande Mataram in Meerut
Corporators of both parties got into a shouting match during the introductory meeting of the Meerut Nagar Nigar on Monday.
BJP corporators faced off with their BSP counterparts over the playback quality of the national song – Vande Mataram – at the introductory meeting of the Meerut Nagar Nigam house on Monday.
The trouble began when BJP corporators objected to the “poor” sound quality of the recorded version being played by the municipal corporation staff. They then shouted slogans of “Yogi-Yogi” and “Vande Mataram”, spurring BSP members to rush towards the mayor’s chair raising the “Jai Bhim” call.
Repeated appeals by mayor Sunita Verma to maintain order in the house were ignored. Police personnel were later called in to prevent a clash between the two sides.
Normalcy was restored about half an hour later, after which everybody was invited to sing the national song. However, many corporators were seen sitting or walking out of the house during the recital.
Mayor Sunita Verma, nevertheless, stood up to sing on the occasion. She was criticised for allegedly disrespecting the national song during her swearing-in ceremony on December 12.
Later, when BJP corporator Rajeev Kale asked the mayor to let him speak for a few minutes, Verma asked him to wait until BSP member Savita Gurjar was done speaking on development plans for the city. However, the mayor adjourned the house for the day after Gurjar’s address, drawing accusations of bias from BJP corporators.
