NEW DLEHI: The Lok Sabha on Monday held discussion on the country’s national song – Vande Mataram’ – on its 150th anniversary. Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla opened the special discussion, calling the national song a powerful symbol of India’s harmony, strength and freedom struggle, and said the debate aims to honour the sacrifices of freedom fighters and pass its legacy to future generations. The debate quickly escalated into a sharp NDA–INDIA bloc face-off, with both sides trading pointed barbs. While the BJP accused the Congress of pursuing a “divisive agenda,” yielding to the Muslim League in the past, and “breaking” the national song, the Congress and its INDIA allies countered that the ruling party was deliberately politicising Vande Mataram ahead of the Bengal elections and using the debate as a distraction from unemployment, inflation and other pressing national concerns.

Key points

The discussion was opened by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who accused the Congress of disrespecting Vande Mataram and “surrendering before the Muslim League,” while criticising leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for skipping the discussion on the national song. He said, “Serious discussion is going on in Parliament, but LoP Rahul Gandhi is not present… First Nehru, now Rahul Gandhi, has shown disregard to Vande Mataram.”PM cited historical correspondence between Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose to argue that Congress had once diluted the song under political pressure. He said Nehru had written to Bose that Vande Mataram could “provoke and irritate Muslims,” claiming this amounted to “a betrayal” of the national song.Highlighting its role in the freedom struggle, the Prime Minister described Vande Mataram as a powerful unifying force that revived national consciousness. “Vande Mataram became the voice of our freedom movement… ‘Veer ka abhimaan hai ye shabd Vande Mataram’,” he said, adding that the government aims to “restore its glory” as it marks 150 years. Modi recalled the 1905 partition of Bengal and said “Vande Mataram stood like a rock” against British divide-and-rule tactics. He emphasised that the anniversary offers an opportunity to revive national pride, urging unity across political lines. “This song should inspire and energise us to fulfil the dreams of our freedom fighters… to make our nation self-reliant and developed by 2047,” he said.

‘Attempt to rewrite history’ – Gaurav Gogoi

Opening for opposition Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi accused PM Modi of trying to “rewrite history” during the Vande Mataram debate and said the BJP cannot tarnish Jawaharlal Nehru’s legacy. He said, PM repeatedly targets Nehru and the Congress and argued that it was his party that elevated Vande Mataram to the status of national song, noting it was first sung at the 1896 Congress session. Gogoi rejected the PM’s claim that Congress weakened the song, saying it was the Muslim eague that sought a boycott, while Congress leaders stood firm. He accused Modi of politicising the discussion and questioned the BJP’s historical role in the freedom struggle, warning of reviving “divide and rule” politics.

‘Divide and rule tactic’ – Akhilesh Yadav

SP leader Akhilesh Yadav while speaking criticised the BJP saying, those who did not participate in the freedom struggle were now lecturing on its values and warning that the national song should not be used as a political tool or to impose beliefs on others. He said Vande Mataram should be followed in spirit as it united people during the freedom movement, and accused “divisive elements” of using it to create splits, comparing this to British “divide and rule” tactics. Yadav also alleged that the ruling side tries to appropriate iconic figures and claimed that even if people do not remember the entire song, the words evoke pride because of their deep emotional resonance.

‘Maha mantra’ energises patriots – Anurag Thakur

BJP MP Anurag Singh Thakur targeted the Congress, asserting that the national song is a “maha mantra” that energises patriots but triggers “allergy” in those who engage in divisive politics. Claiming that objections to the song mirror those once raised by the British and Mohammed Ali Jinnah, he said Congress was “afraid” and needed to “repent its past mistakes,” including the UPA government’s 2006 decision to make singing Vande Mataram voluntary under alleged pressure from “radicalists.” Thakur also criticised the absence of key opposition leaders, saying those who do not draw strength from Vande Mataram align with “Congress, Communists or the Muslim League.” Calling the song eternal and central to India’s national spirit, he said every Indian should bow to the tricolour and chant Vande Mataram, while Opposition MPs accused the BJP of overlooking the RSS’ own historical reluctance to hoist the national flag.

Committing ‘big sin’ – Priyanka Gandhi

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the BJP of deliberately stoking controversy over Vande Mataram ahead of the 2026 West Bengal elections, alleging the government pushed for a Lok Sabha debate on the national song to divert attention from unemployment, inflation and other public concerns.She said the ruling party was committing a “big sin” by politicising a song that belongs to every Indian, arguing that the BJP was using it to attack Jawaharlal Nehru and rewrite history. She claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “weakening self-confidence” was driving such debates and accused the government of targeting freedom fighters while ignoring present-day issues. Priyanka also defended Nehru’s legacy, countering BJP claims about “fragmentation” of the song, and accused the PM of selectively quoting historical letters to fuel a political narrative.

‘Song incomplete’ – Rajanath Singh

Defence minister Rajnath Singh argued that it is time for an unbiased assessment of Vande Mataram, saying neither the song nor Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Anandmath were anti-Islam but reflected popular anger against the Nawab of Bengal and British oppression. He said many people know only the first two stanzas and have forgotten the rest, which, according to him, capture the essence of India, and accused some of deliberately rendering the song incomplete. Singh also claimed that the Congress’ politics of appeasement contributed to India’s partition. Explaining the context of Anand Math, he said it depicted the suffering of Bengalis under heavy taxation and famine, adding that the work and the song were “not against any religion or sect” but expressed the people’s protest against injustice.

‘Butchering the soul’ – Mahua Moitra

TMC MP Mahua Moitra, accused the BJP of using Vande Mataram as an electoral tool ahead of the 2026 Bengal polls, alleging that the ruling party was “butchering the soul” of the song and acting on “some half-wit BJP IT cell minion’s” political advice. Arguing that the timing of the discussion was aimed at gaining an advantage in Bengal, she said the TMC welcomed it because it would only show “how removed you are from the soul of Bengal.” She contrasted the ideals in the song’s stanzas with current issues such as water scarcity, pollution, land degradation and alleged hate speech, arguing that the government had failed to uphold the spirit of the national song. Claiming the Centre was ignoring Tagore’s inclusive vision in Jana Gana Mana, she said the debate was meant to deflect from governance failures and challenged the BJP to “come and fight the 2026 Bengal election,” asserting that “ten crore Bengalis will rise to teach you the real meaning of Vande Mataram.”