Building on JP Nadda's earlier accusations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a 10-hour parliamentary debate on Vande Mataram's 150th anniversary, criticizing the 1937 choice of two stanzas as divisive appeasement. Opposition defended it as inclusive amid calls to prioritize current issues.
Continuing the Winter Session exchanges sparked by BJP president JP Nadda's Rajya Sabha remarks, Parliament held a special 10-hour debate on Vande Mataram, coinciding with its 150th anniversary. Classical musicians performed, but politics dominated as PM Modi lambasted Jawaharlal Nehru's Congress Working Committee decision on October 28, 1937, to adopt only the first two stanzas after opposition from Muslim League leader Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Modi stated Nehru questioned the song itself instead of countering 'baseless' claims, sowing partition's seeds.
Historical context includes Rajendra Prasad's September 28, 1937, letter to Sardar Patel on rising objections; Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's consultation with Rabindranath Tagore, who endorsed the stanzas as non-offensive on October 26; and the resolution's reaffirmation at Wardha in 1939 with Gandhi present. Congress leaders like P. Chidambaram called the revival a historical distortion, urging focus on poverty, education, and climate change.
Musically, in raag Desh, Nehru once described it as 'plaintive and repetitive' in a 1948 note, favoring solo over orchestral renditions—unlike the anthem Jana Gana Mana in raag Bilawal. BJP's Amit Shah tied the truncation to partition politics; critics warned full reinstatement could divide. The session highlights enduring debates on national symbols, with BJP demanding Congress apologies.
