Priyanka Gandhi Critiques Modi's Vande Mataram Speech in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: Congress Member of Parliament Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has taken aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a recent session of the Lok Sabha, accusing him of presenting a speech on the anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram that was devoid of factual accuracy and historical context. In her address, she acknowledged the Prime Minister's rhetorical skills but asserted that he "lacks substance on the facts," and proceeded to critique the government's narrative regarding the song's origins.

Vadra highlighted notable historical events related to Vande Mataram, questioning why the Prime Minister omitted the fact that Rabindranath Tagore first performed the song at a Congress convention in 1896. She asked, "Was it Hindu Mahasabha, was it RSS, what were you attempting to hide that it was a Congress convention?" She elaborated on the song's roots, explaining that Bankim Chattopadhyay composed the initial two stanzas in 1875, which were later included in his novel Anandamath published in 1882. She noted that Vande Mataram became a unifying anthem during the 1905 anti-partition movement in Bengal, stating, "The British were fearful of this song; it inspired our freedom fighters to resist colonial rule."

Vadra further contended that the song had been politicised amidst communal tensions in the 1930s. She accused the Prime Minister of selectively quoting a letter from Subhas Chandra Bose to Jawaharlal Nehru, suggesting that he misrepresented the context of Nehru's remarks regarding Vande Mataram. She referred to a letter dated October 17, 1937, in which Bose expressed his desire to discuss the song's implications with Nehru. Nehru's subsequent response, dated October 20, included a broader narrative than the Prime Minister had portrayed, with Nehru stating, "There is no doubt that the present outcry against Vande Mataram is to a large extent manufactured by the communalists… whatever we do, we can’t pander to communalist feelings."

She recounted that after a meeting with Tagore, Nehru noted the importance of separating the initial stanzas from the later additions, warning that the later verses might be interpreted as communal. On October 28, during a Congress Working Committee meeting attended by Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, and other prominent leaders, the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram were declared the national song. Vadra emphasised that at the time of its adoption in 1950, key figures such as Dr Rajendra Prasad and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee were present, and there was no objection to the song's recognition.

Vadra accused the current government of exhibiting an anti-constitutional attitude by questioning the established form of Vande Mataram. She stated, "Questioning the current form of Vande Mataram isn’t just insulting to all those stalwarts who in their great wisdom took this decision but it also reveals an anti-constitutional mentality. Are the treasury benches so arrogant to think of themselves as bigger than Gandhi, Tagore, Maulana Azad, Neta ji Bose, Rajendra Prasad?" She further expressed that Modi's remarks implying that the song was altered by an anti-national ideology undermined the sacrifices of the leaders who fought for India’s independence.

In her closing remarks, she defended Nehru's contributions to the nation, asserting that significant institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology and the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences owe their existence to his vision. "For the duration of Prime Minister Modi's tenure, Jawaharlal Nehru spent substantial time in prison for the country’s freedom and later served as Prime Minister for 17 years. If he hadn’t established the institutions you are now privatising, would this developed Bharat exist?" she questioned.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi had opened the debate by referencing Nehru’s letter to Bose, claiming that Nehru acknowledged the potential for Vande Mataram to provoke communal tensions. Modi argued that the Congress party had compromised the song’s legacy and fragmented its significance, stating, "The Vande Mataram song was sung. But it is the misfortune of the country that on October 26, the Congress compromised on Vande Mataram. That decision was a failure, a betrayal."