New Delhi: Leader of House in the Rajya Sabha, J.P. Nadda, on Thursday sharpened his attack on the Congress, accusing its leaders of repeatedly undermining Vande Mataram.
In a pointed intervention during the debate on national symbols, Nadda alleged that former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath had “deleted” Vande Mataram from official practice on the first working day of every month, and claimed that Siddaramaiah in Karnataka asked Congress members not to sing Vande Mataram on Constitution Day.
Nadda’s remarks came against the backdrop of a wider discussion on the historical and cultural significance of the song, which has long been celebrated as a rallying cry of the freedom struggle.
He argued that Congress governments, both past and present, had shown a pattern of reluctance in embracing Vande Mataram, despite its deep resonance with India’s civilisational ethos. “This is not about the BJP, RSS or Jan Sangh,” Nadda said, “but about words that have emerged from thousands of years of Indian history and are inseparable from our culture.”
By invoking Kamal Nath’s then decision in Madhya Pradesh, Nadda sought to highlight what he described as a deliberate attempt to dilute national sentiment.
He reminded the House that the controversy over the song was not new, pointing to Jawaharlal Nehru’s own reservations in the 1930s, when he described parts of the composition as “absurd” or difficult for common people to understand.
Nadda argued that such attitudes had carried forward into the Congress’ contemporary politics, manifesting in decisions by its state governments. The reference to Karnataka added a fresh dimension to the debate, with Nadda alleging that the Congress-led government there had also restricted the song’s recital in official settings.
His comments drew sharp reactions from opposition benches, with Congress members accusing the BJP of distorting history and politicising cultural symbols for electoral gain.
The exchange underscored the ideological divide over national symbols, with the BJP framing Vande Mataram as a timeless expression of patriotism and the Congress defending its leaders’ choices as pragmatic or inclusive.
Concluding his speech in the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the House JP Nadda asserted that the ongoing discussion would only be meaningful when Vande Mataram is accorded the same respect as the National Anthem and the National Flag.
He emphasised that the song embodies India’s cultural ethos and deserves equal recognition.
Responding to this, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh reminded the House that Dr Rajendra Prasad had made a similar declaration in 1950, affirming that both the National Anthem and the National Song hold the same status. He added that the Constituent Assembly had explicitly endorsed this parity decades ago.
(IANS)
