Family of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay praises Modi's gesture on 'Vande Mataram'

THE family of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the writer and composer of Vande Mataram, has hailed India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gesture to mark the 150 years of the country's national song.

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The song, written by Chattopadhyay in November 1875, quickly became a rallying cry for freedom fighters in their struggle to liberate India from the British colonial rule.

A political row broke out last month when Modi accused the Congress of dropping important stanzas of Vande Mataram during the 1937 session of the party in Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad.

He said the grand old party's decisions sowed the seeds of partition and dissected the national song into pieces.

The reaction from Chattopadhyay's family came after Modi initiated a debate on the song in Parliament.

Chattopadhyay's grandson, Sajal Chattopadhyay, said the West Bengal government neglected the great writer who wrote Vande Mataram.