Congress made ‘Vande Mataram’ theme song of the freedom movement and Blasts BJP for always selectively targeting Nehru

In Rajya Sabha

Shri Mallikarjun Kharge: Speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the 150th anniversary of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’, Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Shri Mallikarjun Kharge blasted the BJP and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for selectively targeting Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Taking the wind out of the BJP’s newfound patriotic sails, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge reminded the Party that when its ideological ancestors were too scared of patriotism and were in the service of the British, the Indian National Congress had popularised the ‘Vande Mataram’ and made it the theme song of the freedom movement, with its leaders and workers dying and going to jail while reciting it.

Countering PM Modi’s charges that Nehru removed four stanzas from the song to appease the Muslim League and its leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the Congress reminded the BJP that it was their founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee who had formed a government in alliance with the Muslim League in Bengal and not Pandit Nehru. Moreover, he added, the decision to adopt only the first two stanzas of the song was taken in the Congress Working Committee meeting held in 1937. He said, those present in the meeting that approved only the first two stanzas as the national song, included besides Pandit Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, Abul Kalam Azad, Acharya Kripalani, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Dr Rajendra Prasad, GB Pant and others. “Why target Pandit Nehru selectively?” he asked, pointing out, it was a collective decision of all these leaders. The Leader of the Opposition remarked that attacking these tall leaders cannot divert attention from the real issues. He quoted Modi as having alleged that it was due to the corruption that the value of rupee had fallen. “Is it because of the same reasons that the value of rupee has fallen today, as you had attributed to its fall then?” he asked while leaving the treasury benches dumbfounded. “It is like a Himalayan fall, the way the rupee's value has fallen”, he remarked. Shri Mallikarjun Kharge also referred to the foreign policy disaster during the NDA regime, pointing out how the neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh, which were traditional allies, had grown too distant from India.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Modi’s claims of possessing a 56-inch chest, he asked, “What is the point of having such a broad chest when you cannot defend the country's interest and cannot stand up to Chinese bullying?”

He ended his speech by urging the government to stop spreading falsehoods and slinging mud at national heroes to cover up its own failures.

Confronts BJP on ‘appeasement’, cites Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s alliance with Muslim League

SHRI JAIRAM RAMESH: Speaking during the debate on the 150th anniversary of the national song in the Rajya Sabha, the senior Congress leader also tore into the BJP’s accusations about Pandit Nehru having appeased Mohammad Ali Jinnah, asserting that the adoption of the song in its present form was the collective decision of the Congress leadership of that time. Citing extensive correspondence that took place among towering Indian National Congress leaders, it was a collective decision taken by the Congress Working Committee in Calcutta to adopt the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram as the national song. he said all these leaders had expressed concern over the rising communal polarisation in the country at that time. This, he pointed out, had been confirmed by Gurudev Tagore, in an article in Anand Bazar Patrika wherein he had written that the CWC had accepted his suggestion to adopt Vande Mataram as the National Anthem, which was later adopted as the national song, in its current form.

Countering and cornering the BJP on Syama Prasad Mookerjee with Fazlul Haq in West Bengal, the same Haq who moved the resolution for Pakistan in Lahore in 1940. He said, the Mahasabha had also formed coalition governments with the Muslim League in Sindh and North-West Frontier Province, yet the BJP was accusing Nehru of appeasement. He also referred to instances where veteran BJP leader L K Advani praised Jinnah and former BJP Minister Jaswant Singh wrote a book lauding him. He said, while the BJP leaders themselves aligned with the Muslim League and praised its leader, they were accusing Nehru of appeasement. Shri Jairam Ramesh while referring to the Vande Mataram debate said, “the entire project was aimed at maligning Nehru.”

In Lok Sabha

The sacred land of Bengal gave the nation not only our National Anthem but also our National Song

SHRI GAURAV GOGOI: The sacred land of Bengal gave the nation not only our National Anthem but also our National Song. The poets and writers of that period composed such songs and poems which inspired lakhs of freedom fighters and gave them the strength to endure the atrocities of the British. Slogans and songs like 'Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna', 'Satyamev Jayate', 'Quit India' gave strength to the Indian society in the face of the freedom struggle.

In the year 1872, when a massive movement in terms of language was underway across Bengal, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was at the centre of it. In this movement, Raja Ram Mohan Roy was there, there was ‘Brahmo Samaj’ and he wrote the first two lines in the year 1872 which form part of our national anthem today. It started with this song. Its evolution, its rebirth took place in the year 1905 by a political slogan. Aurobindo Ghosh got strength, 'Vande Mataram' sent a message to the ‘Yugantar Party’ that India will now have to launch a freedom struggle with a new vision, new strength and new brainstorming and this message spread widely in the entire State in the ensuing years. It is very important to study the journey of 'Vande Mataram'. The song, which grew out of the language movement in Bengal, to which more lines were added to the ‘Ananda Math’ novel ten years later, became the national slogan in Bengal in the year 1905.

The Hon'ble Prime Minister referred to the Gramophone, but pamphlets and publications also played a very important role. In 1905, this slogan of Bengal was translated through pamphlets and publications. It came to the 'Ananda Math' in different languages. The interpretation of 'Vande Mataram' by 'Anand Math' was not limited to the freedom fighters only, rather it also permeated through the students at large. In the year 1907, when our 'Tiranga' went all over the world, 'Vande Mataram' was also inscribed on it. In 1896, at the Congress session in Calcutta, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore himself sang 'Vande Mataram' in his melodious voice. Maulana Azad Saheb himself had said that he had no objection to 'Vande Mataram'. This was the difference between Maulana Azad of the Congress Working Committee and Jinnah of the Muslim League.

In the 1937 session of the Congress Working Committee, it was decided that wherever there was a national gathering, we would initially sing the first two lines of 'Vande Mataram'. In what context was 'Vande Mataram' written? It was written to revolt against British government when we raised the slogan 'Vande Mataram', when we wanted to tell the British that we will not be afraid and we will not bow down. This was the basic spirit of 'Vande Mataram', which was to revolt against the British. You have objected to what happened in the year 1937. The main objective of 'Vande Mataram', was 'Quit India'? In the Congress Working Committee, Pandit Nehru had a discussion with everyone. Everybody was involved in that. Among them was Rabindranath Tagore ji, who himself said that the first two stanzas are so melodious and have so much power in them, the complete summary of 'Vande Mataram' is in the first two stanzas. Pandit Nehru ji also said the same thing in the resolution of that working committee. In the Constituent Assembly, it was decided that ‘Jana Gana Mana’ will be our national anthem and 'Vande Mataram' will be our national song. Rajendra Prasad agreed, C. Rajagopalachari agreed, G.B. Pant Saheb also agreed, Maulana Azad ji agreed and Ravi Shankar Shukla agreed. This is today's history. Rabindranath Tagore wrote 'Amar Shonar Bangla' in 1905. Today India is a strong nation. It is not only the patriotism of Bengal but the patriotism of Kerala, Karnataka, Nagaland and North Purvanchal is also embedded in it. The patriotism of all the States is imbibed in it.

The people of the country preferred ‘Jana Gana Mana’ composed by Rabindranath Tagore to ‘Vande Mataram’ as the National Anthem without succumbing to the express will of the power that be.

Smt. Priyanka Gandhi tears into BJP’s attempts to create a controversy on ‘Vande Mataram’ and asserts ‘Vande Mataram’ is dear and sacred to Congress, will always remain so

SMT. PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA: She is speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on ‘Vande Mataram’ on December 8, 2025, quoted the correspondence between Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose on the matter. She also asserted that only the first two stanzas of the poem, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, were adopted as the national song by the Constituent Assembly. She pointed out that even the national anthem was also part of a bigger poem.

She also said that the debate on the 150th anniversary of the national song was aimed at the ensuing assembly elections in West Bengal as well as to divert the public attention from the pressing issues like unemployment and rising prices.

She noted that by raising a question on the decision of the Constituent Assembly is not only an insult to the heroes and great leaders of our freedom movement, but also an insult to the entire Constituent Assembly and exposes an anti-constitutional mindset. She asked whether those in power today have become so arrogant that they now consider themselves greater than eminent figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Dr. Ambedkar, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad?

Questioning the purpose of debating on ‘Vande Mataram’ that has already been adopted as the national song, the Wayanad MP said the purpose was obvious as the BJP wanted to exploit it for the ensuing West Bengal assembly elections and divert attention from some serious issues including price rise, unemployment, reservation and problems faced by women. She mentioned that government also wanted to divert attention from PMO-related matters and names of some Union ministers appearing in the infamous Epstein files.

Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for avoiding mentioning the word ‘Congress’ while quoting about the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. She said while the PM did mention the 1896 session, he did not say it was the Congress session.

Putting up chronology of the first two stanzas of the poem being adopted as the national song, she said the leaders of the freedom movement and those framing the Constitution felt at that time that adding the additional four paras to the song could be interpreted in a communal manner.

She asserted that ‘Vande Mataram’ is the voice of the soul of the nation. “Vande Mataram was dear and sacred to us and it will always remain sacred to us,” she said, while pointing out that since 1905, the national song is recited in each and every session of the Congress.

Referring to PM Modi’s earlier statement accusing the opposition leaders of insulting him, Smt. Vadra dared him to fix a time for a special debate on the issue of Nehru’s faults and mistakes. “Let us debate it once and for all and close the chapter, so that we can debate about the present and the future of the country,” Smt. Vadra said in her characteristic gentle, yet assertive tone. She said that the government does not want to debate about the country’s present and the future.