Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday firmly denied accusations that the ongoing discussion on the national song Vande Mataram was timed to benefit the BJP-led NDA in the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, he seemed to respond to comments made a day earlier by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the Lok Sabha. “Those linking the Vande Mataram discussion to the Bengal polls must reconsider their understanding,” Amit Shah remarked.
Priyanka Gandhi Calls the Vande Mataram Debate An Insult
Priyanka Gandhi had criticised the government for holding a “debate” on the national song and revisiting why only two stanzas of the original poem were adopted. She said this exercise was “an insult” to the freedom fighters and Constitution framers who had already taken that decision decades ago.
Following Shah’s speech, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge backed Priyanka’s views, alleging that the government was using the discussion “to deflect attention from the problems country is facing”.
Kharge also attacked the ruling leadership, saying, “PM Modi and Amit Shah leave no chance to insult Jawaharlal Nehru, and other Congress leaders.” He added sarcastically, “Wherever PM goes, Amit Shah follows.”
Amit Shah Responds to Priyanka Gandhi’s Remarks
Addressing Priyanka Gandhi’s charges without naming her, Shah said, “Some people believe that because there are elections in Bengal, this discussion is being held. They want to link the glorification of Vande Mataram with the West Bengal elections. This is unfortunate.”
He opened the debate in the Upper House by describing Vande Mataram as the “mantra” that ignited India’s cultural nationalism. Shah added that the national song would continue to hold significance in the journey toward “Viksit Bharat”, the goal of a developed India by 2047 the centenary of Independence.
Amit Shah Criticises Congress for Questioning the Debate
Amit Shah criticised Congress leaders for “questioning” why Parliament should discuss Vande Mataram at all. He said the relevance of the song was timeless, tied to the freedom movement, the present day, and even the future.
“Yesterday some MPs in the Lok Sabha questioned what is the need to discuss Vande Mataram. The need for discussion… was as relevant when the song was written, during the freedom movement, today, and will be as relevant in 2047 when the Viksit Bharat would be achieved,” Shah said.
Amit Shah Blames Nehru for Limiting the Poem
He also accused former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru of “dividing” the poem in 1937 by restricting it to two stanzas. Shah called this move the “beginning of appeasement politics” and claimed it “led to partition of India”.
Amit Shah Highlights the Song’s Influence in the Freedom Struggle
Amit Shah reminded the House that Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Vande Mataram in Bengal, but its message resonated across India, becoming a unifying slogan during the Independence movement. He added that the song emerged after years of “Islamic attacks” and British efforts to enforce a “new culture”. According to him, Vande Mataram revived the tradition of viewing the nation as a mother figure. “Even though the (British) government tried to ban it, and people were beaten and jailed for chanting Vande Mataram, it touched people’s hearts and spread from Kashmir to Kanyakumari,” he said.
Subtle Reply to Priyanka Gandhi’s Nehru Legacy Remarks
Amit Shah also seemed to respond indirectly to Priyanka Gandhi’s comment that Nehru’s legacy should be discussed “once and for all” because PM Modi “repeatedly insults him while speaking on any issue”.
