New Delhi – The ongoing Vande Mataram debate in Parliament erupted into a fierce political confrontation on Tuesday as Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge sparred over accusations of political opportunism and historical revisionism. The contentious discussion centered on why only two stanzas of the national song were adopted, with opposition leaders charging that the Vande Mataram debate was being used to deflect attention from pressing national issues.
Priyanka Gandhi’s Initial Challenge
The Vande Mataram debate was initially sparked by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s remarks in the Lok Sabha on Monday, where she characterized the parliamentary discussion as “an insult” to freedom fighters and Constitution makers who had originally decided to adopt only two stanzas of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s poem. Her intervention set the stage for Tuesday’s heated exchanges in the Rajya Sabha.
Priyanka Gandhi had questioned the necessity and timing of the Vande Mataram debate, suggesting it was politically motivated rather than genuinely historical or cultural in nature. She also challenged the government to discuss Jawaharlal Nehru’s legacy “once and for all” since Prime Minister Modi “repeatedly insults” him.
Amit Shah Denies Bengal Election Connection
Union Home Minister Amit Shah initiated the Vande Mataram debate in the Rajya Sabha by firmly rejecting suggestions that it was timed to benefit the BJP in upcoming West Bengal assembly elections. “Those linking the Vande Mataram discussion to the Bengal polls must reconsider their understanding,” Shah remarked, attempting to establish the discussion’s legitimacy.
Shah attacked Congress leaders for “questioning” the need for the Vande Mataram debate, stating, “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.”
Historical Accusations Against Nehru
During the Vande Mataram debate, Shah directly accused India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of “dividing” the poem and limiting it to two stanzas in 1937. He characterized this decision as the “beginning of appeasement politics” and claimed it “led to partition of India,” making serious historical allegations that drew immediate rebuttals from Congress leaders.
The Home Minister argued that the Vande Mataram debate was “as relevant when the song was written, during the freedom movement, today, and will be as relevant in 2047 when Viksit Bharat would be achieved,” positioning it as a timeless discussion rather than politically motivated.
Understanding the Stanzas Controversy
The Vande Mataram debate centers on a fundamental historical decision regarding which portions of the song would represent India’s cultural nationalism. Only the first two stanzas were adopted at a 1937 Congress session and later in the Constitution in 1950, while the remaining four stanzas were excluded.
The rationale behind this selective adoption, which forms the core of the Vande Mataram debate, was inclusivity. While the first two stanzas refer to mother and motherland broadly, the latter four directly invoke Hindu goddesses by name with strong religious imagery. Leaders determined that the first two stanzas would be more inclusive for India’s diverse population.
Kharge’s Forceful Rebuttal
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge entered the Vande Mataram debate after Shah’s speech, characterizing the entire discussion as a diversionary tactic. “The discussion on Vande Mataram is being held to deflect attention from the problems country is facing,” Kharge asserted, framing it as political maneuvering rather than genuine historical inquiry.
Kharge accused Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah of constantly insulting Jawaharlal Nehru and other Congress leaders, adding with sarcasm, “But that is only natural. Wherever PM goes, Amit Shah follows!”
Collective Decision, Not Nehru Alone
A crucial element of Kharge’s contribution to the Vande Mataram debate was his emphasis that the 1937 decision on stanza selection was collective, not unilateral. He cited correspondence among freedom fighters to demonstrate that leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhash Chandra Bose, Madan Mohan Malaviya, and Acharya JB Kripalani were all involved.
“The 1937 resolution on the stanzas’ selection was passed by the Congress Working Committee, not by Nehru alone,” Kharge emphasized during the Vande Mataram debate, challenging the government’s singular focus on Nehru.
Tagore’s Position on the Stanzas
Strengthening his argument in the Vande Mataram debate, Kharge quoted Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who had stated he found “no difficulty” in dissociating the first two stanzas from the rest of the song. This citation demonstrated that respected cultural figures supported the selective adoption approach.
“You are insulting all these tall leaders. It was their combined decision. Why do you target Nehru ji alone?” Kharge challenged during the Vande Mataram debate, defending the historical consensus.
Historical Context of the Song
The Vande Mataram debate necessarily involves understanding the song’s origins. Written by Bengali author Bankim Chandra Chatterjee as a poem in Sanskritised Bengali in the 1870s literary tradition, “Bande Mataram” consisted of six stanzas. It was later set to music by Jadunath Bhattacharya.
Shah noted during the Vande Mataram debate that although written in Bengal, the song “spread across the nation, and became the chant for India’s freedom struggle,” establishing its pan-Indian significance.
Political Implications for Bengal Elections
Despite Shah’s denials, the timing of the Vande Mataram debate ahead of West Bengal assembly elections has fueled speculation about political motivations. The extensive parliamentary time devoted to this historical question, critics argue, suggests strategic positioning rather than pure historical interest.
RSS and Hindu Mahasabha References
Kharge made pointed remarks during the Vande Mataram debate about organizations considered precursors to the BJP. “Those who did not sing it have also started singing it now. It is the power of Vande Mataram,” he jibed, alleging that the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha were “serving the British” when Congress members were “going to jail chanting Vande Mataram.”
