Congress MP from Wayanad, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Monday said that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government is debating Vande Mataram for two reasons – winning elections and levelling new accusations on freedom fighters, who made sacrifices for the country.
Addressing the Lok Sabha during the Vande Mataram debate, Gandhi said that the government is debating Vande Mataram as the West Bengal polls are coming. “They want to divert attention from the real issues of the public,” she said.
The Congress leader further asserted that there are two reasons for the debate on Vande Mataram in the House: “One, elections are coming up in West Bengal. In such a situation, our Prime Minister wants to establish his role and, second, those who fought the freedom struggle, sacrificed for the country—this government wants an opportunity to impose new accusations on them. By doing this, the government wants to divert the country’s attention from the essential issues concerning the public.”
The Congress MP said that her party will continue to oppose the BJP irrespective of the political outcomes. “You (BJP) are for the elections, we are for the country. No matter how many elections we lose, we will sit here and keep fighting you and your ideology. We will keep fighting for our country. You cannot stop us,” she said.
The Wayanad MP also took a jibe at Prime Minister Modi, saying the PM delivers good speeches but often falls short when it comes to facts.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivers good speeches, but he falls short when it comes to facts. The way Modi ji presents facts before the public is his art. But I am a representative of the people—I am not an artist,” she quipped.
Also Read: ‘Congress knelt before Muslim League’: PM Modi revives Vande Mataram flashpoint in Lok Sabha
Referring to PM Modi’s speech on the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’, Priyanka said that when the prime minister said that Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore sang Vande Mataram for the first time in 1896, but conveniently left out the fact that Tagore sang it at a Congress session.
“On the anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji delivered a speech at an event. In his speech, Modi ji said – In 1896, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore ji first sang the song ‘Vande Mataram’ at a session. But the Prime Minister ji could not tell that it was the Congress session – after all, what was Narendra Modi ji shying away from?” she asked.
What Modi said during the Vande Mataram debate
Earlier today, Modi alleged that the Congress party “yielded to the Muslim League’s objections” and split the Vande Mataram song. The PM said that the objections first surfaced when Mohammed Ali Jinnah raised concerns in 1937. Jawaharlal Nehru, he added, wrote to Subhas Chandra Bose warning that the background of the song could provoke anger among Muslims. Following this, Congress held internal deliberations in Kolkata, and despite protests across the country, it restricted the hymn to its first two stanzas.
“History shows that Congress knelt before the Muslim League,” Modi said. “Because it bowed before the division of Vande Mataram, it later bowed before the division of India.” He added that this pattern of decision-making “continues even today”.
However, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate refuted Modi’s allegations, saying the grand old party sings Vande Mataram at every event. “Modi ji’s limited historical knowledge and his frustration were all evident in the House today. The reality is that Congress sings Vande Mataram at every event.”
She said that while Bankim Chandra Chatterjee composed Vande Mataram, Rabindranath Tagore sang it for the first time at the 1896 Congress session.
“It became a major slogan of the Swadeshi Movement in 1905. People were jailed for singing Vande Mataram. This is documented historical evidence. Members of Subhash Chandra Bose’s family have spoken about this. At Rabindranath Tagore’s request, he took the part of the song that unites the country. He did not want rivalry. He did not want confrontation. He worked to unite the country. We still sing Vande Mataram with great pride. We sing it in every program…,” she added.