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A heated political confrontation unfolded in the Lok Sabha as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the special debate marking 150 years of the national song, Vande Mataram. While acknowledging the Prime Minister’s oratory, she asserted that his recounting of historical events was “incomplete” and “selectively presented.”
Priyanka Gandhi argued that the Prime Minister ignored crucial historical milestones surrounding the evolution of Vande Mataram. She reminded the House that Rabindranath Tagore first sang the song publicly in 1896 at a Congress session, a historic moment that predated several nationalist organisations. She questioned why this fact was missing from the government’s version of events, implying a deliberate attempt to reshape public memory.
Tracing the song’s journey, she described how Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Vande Mataram in the late 19th century and included it in his novel Anandamath in 1882. The song later became a powerful protest anthem during the 1905 movement against the partition of Bengal. According to her, these events cemented Vande Mataram as a symbol of unity and resistance across India’s freedom struggle.
Priyanka Gandhi also highlighted that in 1937, the Congress Working Committee with contributions from leaders such as Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose decided that the first two stanzas of the song would be adopted for national use because they did not carry religious references. Later, in 1950, the Constituent Assembly reaffirmed Vande Mataram as the national song, a decision she said was reached through mutual respect and consensus.
She claimed that by questioning or modifying this established position, the government was undermining the collective judgment of India’s founding leaders. She accused the ruling party of trying to inject political motives into a historic cultural symbol that belonged to all Indians, not any one ideology.
Sharply turning the discussion toward current national challenges, she criticized the government for engaging in symbolic debates instead of addressing issues such as unemployment, inflation and environmental concerns. According to her, the timing of the Vande Mataram debate indicated a strategic diversion from pressing public grievances, especially in an election season. Priyanka Gandhi’s speech has intensified the political friction between the government and the opposition, turning what was meant to be a commemorative session into a high-voltage clash over history, identity, and political narratives. Her remarks ensured that the Vande Mataram debate, instead of remaining symbolic, has become a broader commentary on the way India’s past is interpreted in present-day politics.
