New Delhi, Dec 8 (PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the time had come for an unbiased evaluation of Vande Mataram and asserted that the entire song and the book, Anand Math, were never
"anti-Islam," but reflected the popular sentiments against the Nawab of Bengal and British imperialism.
Participating in the debate on the '150th anniversary of national song Vande Mataram, Singh also hit out at the Congress, claiming that the politics of appeasement led to the division of India.
"Now is the time for an unbiased evaluation of Vande Mataram and its history," Singh said. "Everyone has heard the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, but many are not familiar with the rest. Most parts of the original version have been forgotten, and those stanzas depict the essence of India."
He noted that Vande Mataram is complete in itself, but there had been attempts to render it incomplete, as he called for a return to the song's glory.
Singh pointed out that Vande Mataram was marginalised after Independence and did not receive the recognition it deserved.
He said some people found the novel Anand Math to be communal, and it was for this reason that Vande Mataram was also targeted.
"If we go back to that era, which Anand Math depicts, it becomes clear that the subject matter was not against any religion or sect. At that time, Bengal was suffering from a severe famine, and the Nawab of Bengal was collecting heavy land revenue from the starving population under pressure from the British. Anand Math was written against this injustice," Singh said.
The defence minister asserted that Vande Mataram and Anand Math were never against Islam. "Rather, it was the cry of the common people against the alliance of the Nawab of Bengal and British imperialism of that era."
Hitting out at Jawaharlal Nehru, the BJP leader said the first prime minister presented several arguments against Vande Mataram, one of which was that Vande Mataram could not be easily played on an orchestra.
In Nehru's assessment, its tune was more important than the words, he said.
Nehru, according to Singh, said, "The real significance of the National Anthem is perhaps more abroad than in the home country."
He said people had to move courts to sing Vande Mataram, and there were occasions when fatwas were issued against it.
He urged all MPs to come together and consider adding a new fundamental duty for all citizens under Article 51A of the Constitution, under which we should respect Vande Mataram in the same way as we respect the national anthem. PTI SKU NAB VN
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