Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Gaurav Gogoi slam PM Modi’s push for a Vande Mataram debate, accusing the BJP of politicising history.
Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Gaurav Gogoi slam PM Modi’s push for a Vande Mataram debate [Photo: X]
New Delhi, Dec 8: The Congress on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech during the discussion on 'Vande Mataram' in the Lok Sabha saying why Parliament needed a debate on the national song, asserting that there was “no controversy" around it and alleged that the government was using the discussion to divert attention from public issues.
The Congress also asserted that the discussion was intended to "rewrite history" and give a "political colour" to it and said that no matter how much the BJP tries, it will not be able to put a single blot on the contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru.
The grand old party also said it was the Congress that gave 'Vande Mataram' the importance it deserved and the status of national song.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday questioned why Parliament needed a debate on Vande Mataram, asserting that there was “no controversy" around the national song and alleging that the government was using the discussion to divert attention from public issues.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the special sitting convened to mark 150 years of Vande Mataram, Priyanka Gandhi said, “Why are we having a debate on Vande Mataram? What debate can there be on the national song?"
She questioned the timing of the discussion saying it was politically motivated.
“We are having a Vande Mataram debate because West Bengal polls are coming," the Kerala Wayanad MP said
She highlighted that the citizens of the country were struggling with multiple challenges while the government was “not finding solutions".
She also accused the BJP of using Parliament to “level more accusations against those who fought for freedom and made sacrifices for the country".
The remarks from the Congress leader came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the 10-hour debate in the Lok Sabha, which the government has positioned as a tribute to the national song and an occasion to highlight its cultural and political significance.
Meanwhile, speaking during discussion on 150 years of 'Vande Mataram', Congress deputy leader in the House Gaurav Gogoi, who is also a Lok Sabha MP from Assam's Jorhat alleged that it is the Prime Minister's habit to keep referring to India's first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress.
Taking a jibe at Modi, Gogoi said, "He (Modi) took Nehru's name 14 times and that of the Congress 50 times during the debate on Operation Sindoor.
"When there was a discussion on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution, Nehru's name was taken 10 times and that of the Congress 26 times," the Congress leader said.
Gogoi said that if any political party gave 'Vande Mataram' the importance it deserved, it was the Congress.
He said his party ensured that it is not just looked upon as a political slogan but is given the status of national song.
"It was in the 1896 Calcutta session of the Congress that Rabindranath Tagore first sang 'Vande Mataram," Gogoi said.
Referring to the Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Gogoi said, "He (Tagore) wrote to Nehru that the privilege of originally setting the first stanza of Vande Mataram to the tune was mine when the author was still alive."
The Congress leader said that in the 1905 Banaras session of the Congress, Sarala Devi Chaudhurani sang "Vande Mataram".
"An important amendment was made in this song which was that of population. The original song mentioned 7 crore, but in 1905, during the Banaras session, Sarla Dev Chaudhurani made it 30 crore and turned the focus of the entire country to Vande Mataram," Gogoi said.
He alleged that the Prime Minister's speech had two objectives -- to rewrite history and give a political colour to this debate.
"It seemed that your political ancestors participated in various movements against the British. So I saw the intention in the Prime Minister's speech to rewrite and revise history. The second objective was to give a political colour to this debate," he said.
The Prime Minister also referred to the Congress Working Committee and Nehru, he said.
"This is his habit whenever he speaks on an issue, he keeps repeating the name of Nehru and the Congress," Gogoi said.
"I want to humbly tell him and his party that no matter how much you try, you will not be able to succeed in putting even one blot on Nehru's contribution," he said.
Gogoi highlighted that it was the Muslim League that wanted to say that the whole 'Vande Mataram' must be boycotted.
"Congress' Maulana Azad said, 'I have no problems with Vande Mataram'. That was the difference between the Congress and Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Despite the League putting pressure, a decision was taken in the 1937 session of the Congress that the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram will be sung at national gatherings," he said.
The Muslim League and the Hindu Mahasabha protested the Congress' decision but the party did not act on their diktat but went by the sentiments of the people, Gogoi claimed.
The Lok Sabha had allotted 10 hours for the debate, with the NDA getting a three-hour slot.
In the Upper House on Tuesday, Amit Shah will present the government’s arguments as part of the one-day special discussion. Meanwhile, Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Gaurav Gogoi, continue to challenge what they describe as the BJP’s attempt to politicise a symbol of the freedom movement.
