Cong compromised on Vande Mataram, says PM

Vande Mataram will remain an inspiration to create a self-reliant and prosperous India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, initiating the discussion on the 150th anniversary of India's national song in the Lok Sabha.

- Saubhadra Chatterji

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Modi blamed India's first PM and Congress leader Jawaharlal Nehru for removing stanzas from the song, composed in the 1870s by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and said this was done under pressure and to appease the Md. Ali Jinnah-led Muslim League: "Under pressure, the Congress divided Vande Mataram, and that's why the Congress also had to buckle under pressure and partitioned India."

The Prime Minister spoke about the long-lasting impact of the song, and said it became synonymous with India's freedom movement and the aspirations and hope for generations. Modi dubbed it as an unparalleled poem in world history. He said that 150 years of Vande Mataram is "not just a moment to remember the past, but a source of energy and inspiration." "Our forefathers dreamt about an independent India. Today's generation hopes for a prosperous India. Vande Mataram's spirit cultivated the hopes of an Independent India.It will now support the plans for a prosperous India," the PM said, ending his speech by chanting Vande Mataram thrice. He also read out the part of the song that was excised. The song exemplified India's can-do spirit, Modi said.