Congress bowed to Muslim League and fragmented Vande Mataram: PM Modi in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Initiating the debate in the Lok Sabha on Vande Mataram, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the national song was truncated to just two stanzas to appease Muslims. In his speech, Modi accused Jawaharlal Nehru of writing a letter to Netaji Bose where the former prime minister had said that the song’s background in Anandmath can “irritate Muslims”.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee had written the first two stanzas of the song in the 1870s but in the book Anandamath, he had written a longer version which included references to Hindu gods and goddesses. “It is unfortunate for the country that Congress compromised on Vande Mataram. They bowed to the Muslim League and decided to fragment Vande Mataram,” Modi said.

Modi said that when Vande Mataram completed 50 years, the country was under British rule. “... when it completed 100 years, the nation was under Emergency; now at 150 years we have the opportunity to restore its glory,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the debate has given an opportunity to younger leaders to learn more about our history.

“Bankim da wrote Vande Mataram at a time when it had become fashionable to look down upon India,” Modi said. A Bengal lawmaker corrected him, and Modi then called the writer Bankim Babu.

“Nowhere in world history is there a song that inspired crores of people for so many decades and moved them to sacrifice for a cause. Mahatma Gandhi wrote that Vande Mataram had become so popular it emerged as our national anthem,” he added.

Modi said that Muslim League started opposing Vande Mataram in 1937. “Mohammed Ali Jinnah raised slogans against it. The then Congress chief Jawaharlal Nehru, instead of condemning their statements and expressing his and the party’s fidelity towards Vande Mataram, started ‘investigating’ Vande Mataram just five days after Jinnah’s opposition,” Modi said.

“Congress compromised on Vande Mataram and, as a result, had to accept the decision of the country’s partition. Congress’ policies have remained the same, and after years, the INC has now become the MMC. Even today, Congress and those carrying its name try to create confusion over Vande Mataram,” he added.