NEW DELHI: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the home minister, and the ruling party during the Rajya Sabha debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, accusing them of deliberately distorting historical facts for political gain.
Ramesh said the debate exposed “far too little history in our politics and far too much politics in our history,” claiming the ruling party aimed to malign India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. “Those who have spoken from the other side wanted to be historians, but they have become distorions,” he said.
Citing historical records, Ramesh said the decision to adopt a shorter version of Vande Mataram was collectively made by the Congress Working Committee, which included leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Rabindranath Tagore, and Jawaharlal Nehru. He highlighted letters exchanged between leaders, including Subhas Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Tagore, and Nehru, to underline that concerns around Vande Mataram were part of legitimate political deliberations.
Ramesh noted that Dr Rajendra Prasad wrote to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1937 about worries regarding Vande Mataram and requested the Congress Working Committee take a stand. “Was it appeasement? Are you accusing Rajendra Prasad and Sardar Patel of appeasement?” he asked. He also referenced a 1927 press statement by Tagore, who had advised the CWC to adopt the first two stanzas of the song as the national anthem.
The Congress leader accused the government of insulting Tagore while targeting Nehru, saying, “Why is the government making this Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay vs Tagore? They wanted to insult Nehru, but they ended up insulting Tagore.” He added, “A lot has been said, the aim of this debate is to malign Nehru. You are insulting people who sacrificed their lives for the nation.”
Meanwhile, CPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar called for a special discussion on the contributions of Gandhi, Nehru, and Ambedkar in Parliament. He said the Vande Mataram debate could have been a “healthy discussion,” but Prime Minister Modi’s opening remarks had made it controversial.