On Independence Day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal angered many after he was seen on video not raising his hand as others echoed Prime Minister Modi's chant of Vande Mataram at the Red Fort.
This was the Prime Minister's seventh consecutive year addressing the nation from the ramparts of the historic fort, and his 86 minute speech ended with rousing chants of Vande Mataram as the audience echoed him, throwing their hands into the air.
However, the live-streamed video of Modi's speech appears to show Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with his hands lowered, seemingly not participating in the enthusiastic chant. While we cannot say whether Kejriwal joined the chant -- he is wearing a mask -- the Delhi Chief Minister can be seen not raising his hands even as those around him fling both hands into the air.
Soon after that, Kejriwal was trending on Twitter for all the wrong reasons as many lambasted him for "not respecting Vande Mataram".
But if officials from his party are to be asked, it would seem that Kejriwal should be lauded for daring to stand out. AAP National Social Media Team member Aarti took to Twitter sharing a screengrab of Kejriwal and comparing it to a 1936 photograph that shows one man refusing refusing to perform the Nazi salute even as he stands with other saluting workers.
This was intended to be a birthday post.
And while there were many on both sides or this debate, there is a wealth of difference between hailing an individual and party and hailing the country.
The phrase Vande Mataram comes from a poem by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee part of which was in 1950 adopted as the national song. While later stanzas have not been taken for its references to Hindu deities, the phrase itself means 'I praise thee, Mother'. 'Hail Hitler' or the Nazi Salute on the other hand is a gesture that's associated only with the party and its despotic ruler.
Many on Twitter were of the opinion that this was
Take a look at the posts:
