The Congress on Sunday strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly insulting the country’s founding fathers, including Rabindranath Tagore, over his remarks on the national song Vande Mataram. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused PM Modi of distorting history and politicising the national song for his own gain.
“The Prime Minister has insulted the Congress Working Committee and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. That he should have done so is shocking but not surprising since the RSS had played no role in our Freedom Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi,” Ramesh said in a statement posted on handle X.
Ramesh pointed out that the CWC, which included prominent freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Patel, had adopted Vande Mataram as the national song in 1937, influenced by Tagore’s advice. “The statement issued by the CWC on October 28, 1937, was profoundly influenced by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and his advice,” Ramesh tweeted, sharing extracts from the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi.
The Congress leader accused PM Modi of diverting attention from pressing issues like unemployment, economic inequality, and foreign policy failures. “His economic policies have sharpened inequalities. Unemployment has scaled new highs. Investment momentum has been lost. His foreign policy has collapsed. He stands thoroughly exposed. And all he does is abuse and defame India’s first Prime Minister,” Ramesh said.