A special parliamentary debate marking 150 years of Vande Mataram turned into a fierce political face-off as Opposition parties accused the ruling BJP of rewriting and distorting history.
On the other hand, the BJP countered by attacking the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal for enabling what it called a “silent demographic invasion” by Rohingya migrants.
Opposition: BJP Is Targeting Nehru and Twisting History
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh led the Opposition’s criticism, asserting that the real agenda behind the debate was to malign Jawaharlal Nehru and undermine the legacy of freedom fighters.
He said:
“Those who have spoken from the other side wanted to be historians, but have become ‘distorians’.”
Ramesh cited a 1937 letter from Rajendra Prasad to Sardar Patel, raising internal concerns within the Congress about Vande Mataram, asking whether the BJP was now accusing these icons of “appeasement.
He reminded the House that the Congress Working Committee had adopted the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram in the presence of:
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Subhas Chandra Bose
- Vallabhbhai Patel
- Jawaharlal Nehru
- Maulana Azad
- Acharya Kripalani
- Govind Ballabh Pant
He also recalled that Rabindranath Tagore publicly supported adopting the first two stanzas and had himself sung them during historic national moments.
Tagore, he said, had once advised the CWC to adopt the opening stanzas as the national anthem—before it was later designated as the national song.
Taking a veiled dig at the RSS, he added:
“Some organisations, including one celebrating its centenary now, spread communal fire and today talk of Congress appeasement.”
TMC: Bengal’s Anti-Partition Movement Is the Soul of Vande Mataram
TMC MP Ritabrata Banerjee highlighted the movement’s origins in Bengal, especially during the 1905 anti-partition agitation, calling Tagore the “nerve centre” of the uprising.
He recalled that on August 7, 1905, during the first mass meeting against the partition of Bengal, Tagore himself sang the first two stanzas of the song, reinforcing its cultural and nationalist significance.
BJP Counters: TMC Encouraging Rohingya Infiltration, Disturbing Demography
Hitting back, BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya accused the Mamata Banerjee government of allowing unchecked entry of Rohingya migrants into West Bengal, thereby altering the state’s demographic profile.
He alleged that the TMC government openly facilitated illegal immigration, claiming:
“There is even a donation box placed for the Rohingya. What will happen to the state and the country if this continues?”
He said infiltration had already affected neighbouring states such as Jharkhand and Bihar, disturbing “the entire demographic balance”.
BJP MP Bhagwat Karad added that the Congress had a “culture of opposing the recital of Vande Mataram”.
Regional Voices: Vande Mataram Across India
TDP MP Sana Satish Babu emphasised that Vande Mataram transcended regional boundaries.
He said that in Andhra Pradesh, the Swadeshi movement itself became known as the “Vande Mataram movement”, fuelled by nationalist leaders such as Bipin Chandra Pal, whose fiery speeches in 1907 inspired intellectual awakening.
BJP MP Baburam Nishad accused the Opposition of engaging in appeasement even in matters involving the national song.
CPI, Sena Flags Concerns About Present-Day Politics
CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar demanded a special parliamentary discussion on the contributions of Gandhi, Nehru, and Ambedkar, warning that
“Godse is creeping into the social fabric of our lives.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the Opposition had presented the true history of Vande Mataram, countering what she described as the BJP’s attempts at political polarisation.
“Home Minister Amit Shah said this was a celebration. But for the BJP, it was not a celebration—it was a platform to push a political agenda,” she said.
The debate, intended to commemorate a milestone in India’s cultural heritage, ultimately became a battleground reflecting long-standing ideological rifts—over history, identity, national symbols, and demographic politics.