Parliament Winter Session 2025: Congress asks BJP to 'read its own history' over ‘Vande Mataram’

Mallikarjun Kharge and Amit Shahr slammed each other during the Parliament winter session discussion on the '150 years Vande Mataram’

During the session, Lop Rajya Sabhha Kharge launched an attack at the BJP saying "Congress Working Committee members, including Nehru ji, Mahatma Gandhi, Mauala Azad, Netaji Subhash Chandra ji, Sardar Patel ji, Govind Vallabh Pant ji, passed a resolution recommending that wherever Vande Mataram is sung at national gatherings, only the first two stanzas should be sung...Was Nehru ji alone in the Congress Working Committee? You are insulting all the other big leaders who took a collective decision. Why does the PM and the HM target Nehruji?..."

He also said that the discussion on the song was to deflect attention from the problems the country is facing.

The BJP had earlier targeted Kharge for “not sticking to the subject”

Kharge had to fire back, saying, "Your (BJP) history is that you were always against the freedom struggle and patriotic songs. When Mahatma Gandhi started the non-cooperation movement in 1921, lakhs of freedom fighters from the Congress went to jail chanting 'Vande Mataram'. What were you doing? You were working for the Britishers.”

He also said that the Prime Minister left no chance to insult Jawaharlal Nehru and said, “Home Minister Amit Shah follows the same."

He also said that Congress made “Vande Mataram” a slogan during the freedom struggle.

Amit Shah argued back, saying that Vande Mataram did not receive its due because of a past decisions made by the Congress. He added, “When Vande Mataram completed 50 years, the country was not yet independent. When its golden jubilee arrived, Jawaharlal Nehru split it into two parts. When it turned 100 years old, there was no glorification because those who spoke Vande Mataram were imprisoned by Indira ji during the Emergency.” He also said that the Nehru’s decision to limit the song to two stanzas during its golden jubilee marked the onset of political appeasement.

He alleged that several INDIA bloc leaders historically refused to sing Vande Mataram, recalling instances of members walking out of the Lok Sabha when the song was sung.

The statements were made as the Rajya Sabha holds a special discussion on the 15th anniversary of Vande Mataram.