Vande Mataram sparks fiery Lok Sabha clash as PM Modi takes aim at Nehru's legacy

 

 The 150-year celebrations are about commemoration and historical reflection. However, the Lok Sabha discussion marking 150 years of Vande Mataram instead underscored the present day sharp political divides. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the attack, accusing former PM Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress of diluting the national song under pressure from the Muslim League in the pre-Independence decades. The Opposition, particularly the Congress, countered that the government was selectively invoking history to divert attention from current economic and governance concerns.

Opening the discussion, Modi argued that Nehru had “weakened national sentiment” around Vande Mataram by questioning its suitability after Muhammad Ali Jinnah publicly opposed the slogan in 1937. He referred to Nehru’s letter to Subhas Chandra Bose, dated 20 October 1937, in which the Congress leader suggested that the Anandamath context of the hymn might “irritate Muslims”. Modi said Nehru’s response amounted to a withdrawal rather than a defence, and that the Congress leadership began scrutinising the song instead of rebutting what he described as the League’s unfounded objections.

Modi framed the Congress Working Committee’s decision to review the song’s usage as a political retreat that “masked” portions of the hymn, and created a precedent for appeasement, which he argued later influenced the political dynamics leading to partition. He contrasted this with what he described as Vande Mataram’s role as a unifying force in the freedom movement.

Tracing the hymn’s origins to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s writing after the 1857 uprising, Modi said Vande Mataram countered colonial narratives portraying Indians as passive and projected a sense of cultural confidence. He urged MPs to view the 150-year observance as an opportunity to reaffirm national cohesion rather than revisit partisan disputes.

As the debate increasingly centred on the Congress leadership’s decisions in the 1930s, party MPs mounted a firm response. Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the prime minister of presenting a distorted account of history and said the government had advanced the debate with an eye on the upcoming West Bengal assembly election. She questioned why the House did not prioritise discussions on inflation, unemployment and other pressing issues.

Priyanka Gandhi accused the government of repeatedly invoking Nehru to shift focus from contemporary challenges and cited correspondence between Nehru and Bose to rebut Modi’s claims. She said that challenging the Constituent Assembly’s decision to adopt the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram as the national song effectively amounted to questioning the Assembly’s authority.

Congress deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi also criticised the prime minister for, in his words, “rewriting history” and giving the debate a “political colour”. He cited previous instances where Modi had frequently referred to Nehru or the Congress during unrelated parliamentary debates. Gogoi argued that the Congress had played a central role in elevating Vande Mataram, including its early adoption in Congress sessions, and said attempts to portray the party as indifferent were historically inaccurate.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav added to the Opposition’s criticism, saying that those “who did not participate in the freedom struggle” were now positioning themselves as arbiters of the song’s legacy. He cautioned against using Vande Mataram as a political instrument and said it should be respected for its role in collective mobilisation during the independence movement.

Later in the debate, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Vande Mataram had not received the recognition it deserved after Independence. He argued that “politics of appeasement” had contributed to India’s division and claimed that attempts were later made to render the song “incomplete”.