Vande Mataram song row: PM Modi says key stanzas removed in 1937; Mallikarjun Kharge hits out at BJP, RSS | India News

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the 1937 Congress of “removing important stanzas” from the original Vande Mataram, saying the decision not only “broke the song into pieces” but also “sowed the seeds of partition.”Speaking at an event marking 150 years of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, PM Modi said, “Unfortunately, in 1937, important stanzas were removed from the original Vande Bharat song. Vande Bharat was broken into pieces. This also sowed the seeds of partition. Why was this injustice done? The same divisive ideology remains a challenge for the nation.”

Also read- 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’: PM Modi hails the spirit of unity; unveils commemorative portal, coin and stampThe Prime Minister said the song continues to inspire generations and called upon the youth to remain focused on building a Viksit Bharat despite attempts to mislead them. “On our way to Viksit Bharat, we will find people who misguide us. People with a pessimistic outlook will try to sow doubt in our minds. In such times, Vande Mataram inspires us. How can a mother who has crores of children be weak? Bharat Mata has 140 crore children, has 280 crore arms, and more than 60% are young. We have the world’s biggest demographic advantage. Nothing is impossible for us,” he said.

Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of saying those celebrating Vande Mataram’s anniversary have never sung it in their offices or shakhas.“It is deeply ironic that those who today claim to be the self-proclaimed guardians of nationalism — the RSS and the BJP — have never sung Vande Mataram or our National Anthem Jana Gana Mana in their shakhas or offices. Instead, they continue to sing Namaste Sada Vatsale, a song glorifying their organisations, not the nation,” Kharge said in an official statement.He added, “Since its founding in 1925, the RSS has avoided Vande Mataram, despite its universal reverence. Not once in its texts or literature does the song find mention.”Kharge also drew a contrast with Congress traditions, noting that Vande Mataram has been part of every party meeting and event since 1986. “The Congress Party takes immense pride in both Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana. Both songs are sung with reverence at every Congress gathering and event, symbolising India’s unity and pride,” he said.Also read- ‘Sin’: BJP accuses Nehru of dropping Maa Durga stanzas from Vande Mataram in 1937; takes ‘pungent echo’ dig at Rahul

Continuing his criticism, Kharge accused the Sangh of having “stood with the British” during India’s independence movement. “It is a well-known fact that the RSS and Sangh Parivar supported the British against Indians in the National Movement, did not raise the National Flag for 52 years, abused the Constitution of India, burnt effigies of Bapu and Babasaheb Ambedkar, and, in the words of Sardar Patel, were involved in Gandhiji’s assassination,” Kharge said.Recalling the song’s history, the Congress president said the party had been the “proud flagbearer of Vande Mataram” since the late 19th century. “It was during the 1896 session of the Congress in Calcutta, under the leadership of the then Congress President Rahmatullah Sayani, that Vande Mataram was sung publicly for the first time by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. That moment infused new life into the freedom struggle,” Kharge said.He added that Vande Mataram emerged as a song of unity and defiance against the British policy of divide and rule. “The Congress understood that the British Empire’s manipulation of religious, caste, and regional identities was designed to break India’s unity. Against this, Vande Mataram rose as a song of unflinching strength, uniting all Indians in devotion to Bharat Mata,” he said.

Recalling the circumstances under which Vande Mataram was written, PM Modi said Bankim Chandra Chatterjee composed it when India was struggling under British rule and economic exploitation. “When Bankim Babu composed Vande Mataram, India was far removed from its golden era. Foreign invaders, their attacks and the exploitative policies of the British had left our country in the clutches of poverty and starvation. Even in those dire circumstances, Bankim Babu called for a prosperous India,” he said.“During that period of slavery, the British justified their rule by portraying India as inferior and backward. The first line (Sujalam, Suphalam) completely destroyed that propaganda. Vande Mataram not only became the song of independence, but also presented that prosperous, fruitful dream of what an independent India would be like,” PM Modi added.

The Prime Minister quoted Rabindranath Tagore’s remarks on Bankim Chandra’s Anandamath, describing it as more than just a novel. “Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore once said that Bankim Chandra’s ‘Anandmath’ is not just a novel. It is a dream of an independent India. Every word written by Bankim Babu had deep meaning. This song was created during the time of slavery, but it is not limited to that time. The Vande Bharat song is relevant in every era. One-fourth share of global GDP was with India just a few centuries ago,” he said.

Highlighting India’s civilisational ethos, PM Modi said the idea of the nation as a mother has been deeply rooted in Indian tradition. “Our Vedas have taught us that the nation is our mother and we are her children. We have worshipped our nation in this form since the Vedic period. The emotion that a nation can be a mother can be surprising for those who view nations as a geopolitical entity. But India is different. Here, a nation is also the one that gives birth and the one that nurtures. She is also a destroyer if a child is in danger. Because of this emotion of considering the nation as mother and a form of Shakti, mahila shakti was forefront in building the nation,” PM Modi said.He added, “The concept of India is the ideological force behind it. The sense of one’s independent existence. Only from the depths of the heart and the infinity of emotions does a composition like Vande Mataram emerge. In that period of slavery, Vande Mataram became the proclamation of this resolve. And that proclamation was of India’s independence. The chains of slavery would be broken by the hands of Mother India, and her children would become the makers of their own destiny.”Calling the day a moment of national pride, PM Modi said, “Today, November 7, is a historic day. We are having a grand celebration of 150 years of the creation of Vande Mataram. This event will generate new energy among crores of Indians. My greeting to every citizen on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram.”

Earlier in the day, BJP spokesperson C.R. Kesavan accused former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of committing a “historic sin” by truncating stanzas from Vande Mataram that hailed Goddess Durga during the 1937 Faizpur session of the Congress. He claimed Nehru’s letter to Subhash Chandra Bose from that year described the hymn as unsuitable for adoption as a national song.Kesavan alleged that the Congress “deliberately removed” the Durga stanzas to appease communal sentiments. He also drew a link between Nehru’s position and Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks on Shakti, calling it a continuation of a “Hindu Virodhi mentality.”The government has announced a year-long celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’, including the release of a commemorative stamp and coin.‘Vande Mataram’, composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, was first published in 1875 in the journal ‘Bangadarshan’ and later included in his novel ‘Anandamath’. The song was set to music by Rabindranath Tagore and became a rallying cry during India’s freedom struggle.