- Modi targets Congress and former PM Nehru for appeasement
- Under pressure from Muslim League, Congress compromises on Vande Mataram
New Delhi. On completion of 150 years of Vande Mataram song, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today compared the song to the flow of a river. He said that Vande Mataram is carrying with it a flow of inspiration and after independence, it will now take us towards prosperity. Initiating the discussion on Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha on Monday, the Prime Minister said that injustice was done to the song Vande Mataram in the last century. In his speech, he referred to Gandhiji’s statement that Vande Mataram has become so popular that it should be made the national anthem.
He said that today there is a need to know the circumstances as to what was the force that overpowered this revered spirit and dragged it into controversies. The Prime Minister presented in the House the history related to this song, the incidents and facts related to its awakening and inspiration. He also accused Congress of doing injustice to Geet. He also called upon the public representatives to participate in the discussion and said that this is an opportunity for us to accept this loan.
The Prime Minister targeted Congress and former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru for appeasement. He said Congress reviewed the song after Muslim League protested. He said that Nehru described the song as irritating to Muslims after Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s statement against the song in 1937. He mentioned this in a letter written to Subhash Chandra Bose. The Prime Minister said that the cutting of Vande Mataram song had laid the foundation for the partition of the country. He said that in the name of social harmony, the use of Vande Mataram song was reviewed and cut. Congress surrendered before the Muslim League and due to its appeasement, one day the country had to accept the partition of India.
Inspired by the song, the Prime Minister started his speech by paying tribute to the known and unknown soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. He talked about the situation in the country on completion of 50 and 100 years of Vande Mataram song and said that we should take advantage of the opportunity of completion of 150 years to restore the pride of the country. He said that on completion of 50 years the country was a slave and on completion of 100 years it was going through emergency. The Constitution was strangled during the Emergency.
Describing the challenge posed by Vande Mataram to the British rule, the Prime Minister said that it demonstrated India’s capability to the foreign rule which was spreading inferiority complex in the country. Bharat lines were written in the song that along with Mother India, the goddess of knowledge and prosperity, Chandi is also the one who wields weapons to destroy the enemy. These ideas awakened and inspired Indians during the period of foreign rule.
He said, there was a time when the intellectual power of Bengal used to guide and inspire the entire country. The British understood very well that the power of Bengal was the center point of India’s power. That is why he first did the work of dividing Bengal. In Barisal, maximum fine was imposed for singing Vande Mataram. Barisal is no longer a part of India today, but at that time the brave women of India held a big and long demonstration in Barisal against the ban on Vande Mataram.
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