Vande Mataram on 150: History, controversy and big debate in Parliament. explainer news

Last updated:08 December, 2025, 09:14 IST

On completion of 150 years of Vande Mataram, Parliament will debate its origins, the 1937 controversy and the political dispute between BJP and Congress over its full verses.

As soon as Parliament is called for a special discussion 150 years old Vande MataramThe national anthem has returned to the center of India’s political conversation. There will be a ten-hour special debate in the Lok Sabha on Monday Prime Minister Narendra Modi ready to address It will be concluded by the House and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. A parallel debate of similar length is planned in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, where Home Minister Amit Shah will speak.

For a composition written in the 1870s, Vande Mataram Powerful reactions continue across the political spectrum. The government says the debate will reveal “important and unknown aspects” of the song. The opposition is divided on this issue. While the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has supported the debate, the Congress has questioned the timing of the debate and accused the government of using it as a distraction from the electoral reforms and SIR issue.

Why has a 150 year old poem become the subject of a major parliamentary confrontation? The answer lies in its layered history, its emotional presence in the freedom struggle, and the competing political narratives around what the song represents, and who has the right to lay claim to it.

PM Modi’s allegations against Congress

Last month, Prime Minister Modi had sharply criticized the Congress on a decision taken in 1937 regarding the national song. “Vande Mataram became the voice of India’s freedom struggle, it expressed the sentiments of every Indian. Unfortunately, in 1937, important verses of Vande Mataram… a part of its soul, were taken away. The division of Vande Mataram also sowed the seeds of division. Today’s generation needs to know why this ‘Maha Mantra’ of nation building was treated this injustice… This divisive mentality is still a challenge for the country,” PTI quoted him as saying. Said.

He also said that “important verses of ‘Vande Mataram’, which are a part of its soul, were torn out” and described the act as an “injustice”.

The Prime Minister recited all six verses of the original composition and accused the Congress of succumbing to pressure decades before independence.

Congress hits back, and quotes Tagore

Congress has rejected this allegation. Responding to the allegation, the party cited the decision of the Working Committee of 1937 which included Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Azad and Sarojini Naidu.

According to the Congress, only the first two verses were adopted as the remaining verses contained religious imagery which aroused objections among some sections of the Muslim community. The party argues that this decision was taken to ensure unity within the independence movement. Congress leaders also cited a letter written by Rabindranath Tagore to Jawaharlal Nehru, where Tagore had insisted that only two verses be used, and demanded an apology from the Prime Minister.

The party also accused PM Modi of distorting history and attempting to divert attention from current national issues.

What does BJP plan to highlight in the debate?

BJP spokespersons have indicated that the party will highlight historical disagreements during parliamentary discussions. On Sunday, Sambit Patra said Nehru’s “real stance” would be brought out into the open, referring to texts he claimed Nehru believed in. Vande Mataramis concerned with Anand Math could “upset” Muslims and some parts of the composition were difficult to follow.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also posted a detailed thread ahead of the debate, writing: “Tomorrow is a historic day. Our Parliament will hold a special discussion on 150 years of Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha. As the nation discusses 150 years of Vande Mataram, let’s not forget some historical facts:

• Despite opposition from other Congressmen like Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru shortened the entire Vande Mataram for vote bank politics.
• In 1937, Nehru bowed to the demand of Muslim League and Jinnah to edit the verses from Vande Mataram.
• Make no mistake when Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore recited the entire Vande Mataram in its December 1896 session, the President of the Congress was Rahimtullah M. Sayani, a Muslim.
• Written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in (1875), Vande Mataram united Hindus and Muslims in the fight against the British.
• Vande Mataram was the slogan of the main rally in Bengal against the partition of Bengal by the British in 1905.

Congress shortened it to two phases, citing “objections” from fundamentalists and fundamentalists.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightly called this appeasement mentality Muslim League Maoist Congress.

Congress has always been uncomfortable with the soul of India’s civilization, the national symbols and the eternal call of ‘Vande Mataram’, so much so that Rahul Gandhi asked KC Venugopal to interrupt the singing of Vande Mataram at a public rally because he was getting late!’

The BJP argues that it is necessary to revisit the 1937 decision to understand what it describes as a pattern of concessions and a break with the civilizational ethos of India. Party leaders have framed the song as a unifying force weakened by political choices.

Why has Congress become defensive?

Congress says it has increased Vande Mataram Long before the BJP came into existence, and its leaders – including Gandhi, Nehru and Patel – used this song regularly during the freedom struggle. According to the party, the decision to adopt the two verses in 1937 was based on Tagore’s advice and was intended to ensure harmony at a time when communal divisions were deepening.

Congress leaders say they will counter the BJP by highlighting its historical role and accusing the ruling party of using cultural symbols to divert attention from contemporary governance challenges.

Historical Roots: How Vande Mataram was born

Vande Mataram It was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the 1870s, when he was serving as a deputy magistrate under British rule and was deeply troubled by the colonial policies.

On 7 November 1875, he published this poem in his Bengali magazine. bangdarshanThe full version was later published in his 1882 novel Anand MathWhere it has been sung by a saint named Bhavanand. The first two verses, composed in Sanskrit, depict India as goddess Durga, while the remaining verses in Bengali describe the beauty and spirit of the motherland. Chattopadhyay reportedly conceived it as an alternative to the British anthem God Save the Queen,

How it became a nationalist anthem

public singing of Vande Mataram It began to gain momentum in the late nineteenth century. Excerpts from it were sung by Hemchandra Banerjee at the Congress session in Kolkata in 1886. But its defining moment came in 1896, when Rabindranath Tagore set it to music and presented it at the Indian National Congress session in Calcutta – the first full, public performance that transformed the poem into a politically charged anthem.

By 1905, amid the Swadeshi movement and protests against the partition of Bengal, the song became a rallying cry in cities from Kolkata to Lahore. Revolutionaries like Aurobindo Ghosh called it the mantra of liberation. Despite attempts by the British to suppress it, Vande Mataram It remained a symbol of resistance powerful enough to influence the annulment of the partition of Bengal in 1911.

Why does Muslim League have objection to the entire song?

From 1906 to 1911, the entire composition was sung at Congress functions. But the Muslim League objected to its religious imagery, including references to gods and goddesses, leading Congress leaders to later limit the song to its first two verses. Gandhiji supported Vande Mataram But expressed caution regarding its religious overtones. In 1937, the Congress formally adopted it as its anthem in two-stanza form.

After independence, on 24 January 1950, the Constituent Assembly under the leadership of Rajendra Prasad declared Vande Mataram As the national song of India, with Jan Gana Mana As the national anthem.

Why does the debate matter today?

Monday’s debate is not just about history. It shows how national symbols continue to shape contemporary politics. For the BJP, the anniversary provides an opportunity to revisit historic decisions and present Vande Mataram As a symbol of cultural confidence and civilizational heritage. With West Bengal Assembly elections approaching next year, the party has also emphasized Chattopadhyay’s authorship and support of Subhash Chandra Bose.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, are expected to retaliate by recalling the song’s own legacy and accusing the BJP of weaponizing cultural issues.

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