As the Vande Mataram row intensifies, the Congress party on Thursday defended its long-standing practice of singing the first two stanzas of the national song at its programmes, invoking the legacy and endorsement of leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Rabindranath Tagore to assert its historical nationalist credentials amid sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).A couple of Congress leaders argued that the party’s position on the rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’ is rooted in a longstanding organisational decision dating back to the freedom struggle and was not a recent political development.

They also alleged that Congress workers continued singing the national song despite facing persecution and British action during the freedom movement, while accusing members associated with the Jan Sangh and RSS of informing the British about the freedom fighters who sang the song.This came a day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolved to continue following the tradition established through a 1937 CWC decision, under which only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ are recited during Congress events. The decision has assumed significance as the Centre has recently made the complete rendition of the national song part of official protocol.

Congress MP Jebi Mather said the party’s position had been carefully established after discussions among several prominent leaders during the freedom struggle and that the practice would continue.”The Congress’ stand on Vande Mataram is not something that has emerged today, yesterday or the day before. It dates back to the 1937 Kolkata session, when great leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Rabindranath Tagore came together, discussed the matter and the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution that the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram would be sung,” Mather told IANS.

“That decision continues today and will continue forever,” she added.Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput also strongly defended the party’s association with ‘Vande Mataram’, saying that the song had been sung by Congress workers since the beginning and remained an important part of the freedom movement.”We have been singing ‘Vande Mataram’ from the beginning. During the freedom movement, when we used to sing ‘Vande Mataram’, these sycophants of the British — the Jana Sangh people, the Sangh people — used to inform the British that such-and-such freedom fighter was singing ‘Vande Mataram’, and the British used to whip us on our backs,” Rajput said.

“We did not stop singing ‘Vande Mataram’ even then. The same ‘Vande Mataram’ that we used to sing at that time, we are singing today. The ‘Vande Mataram’ that Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose sang, and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore approved — we sang it, we sing it, and we will continue to sing it,” he added.”Why did these Sangh people never sing Vande Mataram in their Sakhas? We are ready to be whipped by the BJP, but we just want to know the reason behind it,” Rajput stated.

Meanwhile, Revolutionary Socialist Party MP N.K. Premachandran said that the position of both the Congress and the INDIA bloc on ‘Vande Mataram was clear, arguing that the national song should serve as a means of bringing people together rather than creating divisions.”As far as Vande Mataram is concerned, the position of Congress as well as the INDIA bloc is very clear. It is very definite that the national song is not meant for dividing the people but for uniting the people,” Premachandran said.The Congress defence comes as the party came under heavy criticism from the BJP, which has accused the Congress of disrespecting the national song by restricting its rendition to two stanzas.

The legal battle launched by affected candidates against Jharkhand government’s decision to cancel 22 recruitment examinations has intensified, with four petitions challenging the move filed in the High Court so far. The petitions are likely to be heard on Thursday at 3 PM.The petitioners include successful candidates from the 11th-13th JPSC Combined Civil Services Examination, JSSC-CGL and the Food Safety Officer examination. The petitions have been filed by successful candidates, including Avadhesh Kumar, Deepmala, Sonam Kumari and Saurabh Singh, among others.

The candidates’ primary argument is that the government unilaterally cancelled the examinations and subsequent appointments without giving them an opportunity to present their case. A large number of these candidates had already joined government service following their selection, and the government’s decision has directly jeopardised their employment.The petitioners have also invoked the principles of natural justice in their defence. They argue that while action should be taken against any candidate found to have played a dubious role during the investigation, it would be unjust to remove all successful candidates from their jobs without an individual inquiry or hearing.

They maintain that they appeared for the examinations in accordance with the prescribed procedure, secured positions on the merit lists and were subsequently appointed to government posts.In the JSSC-CGL case, some petitioners have also argued that the examination results were declared in compliance with earlier High Court orders, raising questions over the legality of the government’s subsequent decision to cancel the entire examination.

The Jharkhand government decided to cancel the 22 recruitment examinations based on findings of CID and SIT investigations into alleged irregularities in various competitive examinations.The affected examinations cover recruitment for several posts, including those through the JPSC 11th-13th Combined Civil Services Examination and JSSC-CGL, as well as Civil Judge, Deputy Collector, Food Safety Officer, Drug Inspector, Assistant Professor, Lecturer, Assistant Engineer, Forest Range Officer and Assistant Conservator of Forests.

Jammu: For the first time, the Vande Bharat train operated at 100 km per hour on the world’s highest railway bridge, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, Uchit Singhal, told reporters on Thursday.

He said the increase in speed would reduce travel time and further strengthen connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir.

“The move would provide passengers with faster, safer and more comfortable travel while also boosting tourism, trade and economic activities in the region,” he said.

The Vande Bharat train has, for the first time, operated at a speed of nearly 100 kmph on the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River, following the Railway Ministry’s approval to increase the maximum permissible speed on the Katra-Banihal rail section.

The senior divisional commercial manager also said the approval allows trains to run at speeds of up to 100 kmph on the 111-kilometre-long new Broad Gauge rail section between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Banihal under the Jammu Division of Northern Railway.

Earlier, the permissible speed was 85 kmph on the Katra-Sangaldan section and 75 kmph on the Sangaldan-Banihal section. Northern Railway has also said the speed enhancement was approved after ensuring compliance with all prescribed safety conditions.

With the revised speed limit, travel time between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Banihal is expected to reduce further.

The Chenab Rail Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir is the highest railway bridge in the world and is considered a marvel of railway engineering.

It towers 359 meters (1,178 feet) above the Chenab River bed, making it 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower. The length of the bridge is 1,315 m. The bridge has a steel and concrete deck arch bridge built to resist heavy winds and strong earthquakes.

The total length of the railway project connecting Jammu to the Kashmir Valley (the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link or USBRL) is 272 kms for the newly constructed track portion, with the overall continuous rail line spanning roughly 324 to 345 kms depending on the specific start and end junctions measured from Jammu to Baramulla.