New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha on Monday. In his address, PM Modi launched a sharp
historical critique of the Congress, alleging that the party “compromised on a national symbol” in 1937 under pressure from the Muslim League. PM called it a “moment of weakness that paved the way for greater concessions leading up to Partition.
Speaking during a special discussion to mark 150 years of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s iconic composition, the Prime Minister said, “The Muslim League opposed Vande Mataram in 1937. Instead of firmly rebutting these objections, Congress leadership, including Jawaharlal Nehru, agreed with the League’s arguments”. He stated that the Congress Working Committee, on 26 October 1937, decided to review and dilute the status of the song under the pretext of “social harmony”.
Changes to Vande Mataram a ‘historic act of appeasement’
Calling the decision an act of political surrender, Modi said, “This appeasement, compromising on a national symbol under political pressure, was a serious mistake. Such compromises created a chain of concessions that ultimately led to Partition”. He added that several political groups, even today, try to create “unnecessary controversy” around Vande Mataram.
The Prime Minister described Vande Mataram as far more than a freedom-era slogan, calling it a “civilisational invocation that awakened the spirit of resistance against colonial rule.” Recalling its origins, he said Bankim Chandra wrote it in 1875 at a time when the British were aggressively pushing their own anthem, God Save the Queen, on Indian subjects.
Vande Mataram inspired great revolutionaries
Modi said the hymn revived the ancient Indian ethos expressed in the Vedas, “माता भूमिः पुत्रोऽहम् पृथिव्या” (The earth is my mother, I am her son), and inspired generations of revolutionaries. “Whether it was Khudiram Bose, Ashfaqullah Khan, or Masterda Surya Sen, countless patriots went to the gallows with Vande Mataram on their lips,” he said.
PM also invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s praise for the hymn, noting that in 1905, Gandhi wrote that Vande Mataram had “practically become our national anthem” because it “inspired patriotism more than any other song.”
Framing the 150-year commemoration as an opportunity for renewed national unity, the Prime Minister urged all parties to “rise above political lines” and draw inspiration from the message of Vande Mataram. “This is not a matter of government or opposition,” he said. “The mantra that energised India’s freedom struggle must guide us again as we move towards building a developed India by 2047.”
