Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday came down heavily on the Congress party and former PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's legacy, alleging that the Vande Mataram was meted out a discriminatory treatment under the Congress rule. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, PM Modi alleged that the Congress compromised on Vande Mataram and, as a result, had to accept the decision of the country’s partition. The Prime Minister said that the Congress party’s policies have remained the same over the years.
"It is unfortunate for the country that Congress compromised on Vande Mataram. They bowed to the Muslim League and decided to fragment Vande Mataram," said PM Modi. He further added that the nation was under Emergency when Vande Mataram completed 100 years. Here are key highlights from PM Modi's Lok Sabha speech:
* Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lamented that when the national song Vande Mataram completed 100 years, the Constitution was 'throttled' and nation chained by Emergency. Modi noted that when Vande Mataram completed 50 years, India was reeling under colonialism. "When Vande Mataram completed 50 years, the country was under colonial rule, while at its 100th anniversary, the nation was under Emergency," he said.
* PM Modi asked, "Vande Mataram was so great, then why did injustice happen to it in the last century? Why was there betrayal with Vande Mataram? Which were those powers whose wishes overshadowed the emotions of Mahatma Gandhi?"
* The Prime Minister added that Vande Mataram also showed India the path to self-reliance. "Back then, from matchboxes to large ships, 'Vande Mataram' was written as a tradition. It became a means to challenge foreign companies and emerged as a slogan of the Swadeshi movement," he said.
* When the Emergency was imposed on the country, and freedom was tried to be suppressed, it was Vande Mataram that rose above and defeated those forces. When wars were imposed on the country, it was Vande Mataram that inspired our forces: PM Modi
* PM Modi: "I want to tell the House about Mahatma Gandhi’s emotions regarding Vande Mataram. In the weekly Indian Opinion on 2 December 1905, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that the song Vande Mataram, composed by Bankim Chandra, had become famous across Bengal. During the Swadeshi movement, lakhs of people sang it. He also wrote that this song was so popular it had become like our national anthem, carrying deeper emotions and more melody than the national songs of other countries. It views Bharat as mother and prays to her."
* The Prime Minister further said, "The politics of the Muslim League opposing Vande Mataram took pace in 1937. Mohammed Ali Jinnah raised slogans against it. The then Congress chief Jawaharlal Nehru, instead of condemning their statements and expressing his and the party’s fidelity towards Vande Mataram, started 'investigating' Vande Mataram just five days after Jinnah’s opposition."
* PM Modi added, "Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru wrote a letter to Subhash Chandra Bose after Jinnah’s opposition to Vande Mataram, stating that he had read the background of Vande Mataram and thought it might provoke and irritate Muslims. He added that they would examine the use of Vande Mataram, and that too in Bankim Chandra’s Bengal."
