Not against Islam, but was anti-Bengal Nawab, says Rajnath on Vande Mataram

ECHOING Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim of Congress’s appeasement politics, 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 “Anand Math” book were never anti-Islam, but reflected the popular sentiments against the Nawab of Bengal and British imperialism.

- PREETHA NAIR @ New Delhi

Participating in the debate on the ‘150th anniversary of national song Vande Mataram’, Singh noted that “Vande Mataram” is complete in itself, but there have been attempts to render it incomplete. He called for a return to the song’s glory.