Vande Matram: What did Parliamentary debate achieve?

The 150th anniversary of the national song, 'Vande Mataram', was celebrated on November 7, 2025. Never one to miss an opportunity to flex nationalistic muscles, the Narendra Modi government decided to debate the momentous occasion in Parliament. And rightly so, given the historic significance of the song and its impact on the Freedom Struggle, which awakened the masses and ultimately drove the British offshore. The debate was a welcome move. It was truly a historic occasion and needed to be celebrated with aplomb, both in Parliament and outside. However, the manner in which the debate was held has left a bad taste in the mouths of “We the People” and has made us a laughing stock in the international public community. Did the debate, with its controversial tone and tenor, achieve its purpose of awakening and informing new generations of Indians, apart from celebrating the occasion? Did the debate succeed in instilling a strong sense of patriotism among the people, which the ruling dispensation always claims to be its prime goal? Finally, what has been the net outcome? Was it bonhomous? The flat answer to these questions is an emphatic no. None of these goals has been achieved.

 On the contrary, one is forced to think whether this was the real aim or merely a charade to achieve pecuniary political ends. It has been rare in the last decade for the Prime Minister to kick-start a debate, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s lack of penchant in this regard is now well known. Given the significance of the event, and that he chose to lead the nation in remembering and celebrating the golden lines of Vande Mataram, it was an opportunity when everyone should have risen to the occasion and passionately remembered the impact this national song, penned by the revered Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, had in uniting the people and invigorating the Freedom Struggle on the road to its logical conclusion. If the prime mover of the idea was the Union Government — and logically so — the onus lay on the current dispensation to make the debate meaningful and fruitful, more in the interest of the nation than in harping on ideological moorings and electoral necessities.

Issues of such immense national importance should be above political and electoral interests. Alas, that was not to be. The entire debate got mired in controversy. By the end of it, it raised a vital question: was it really intended to celebrate the 150th year of the national song? It became clear beyond doubt that the purpose behind holding this debate was purely politico-electoral, focused on the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, and targeting the Congress, particularly the Nehru-Gandhi family. The no-holds-barred attack led by Mr Modi in this regard, and the forceful attempts by the Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Mr Rahul Gandhi and Mr Mallikarjun Kharge respectively, to counter this, defeated the very purpose. Mr Modi lost a golden opportunity to take his carefully crafted image to the next level and silence his critics.

This was an occasion when he could have risen above politics and carried the entire Parliament along, but that was not to be. Ostensibly, electoral and ideological greed proved far too overriding of the national interest. At the end of the debate, Parliament and the polity emerged further divided, and the nation bruised. There were no winners, and the nation lost. An electoral victory, if it happens at such a high cost, is least expected and undesirable.

A sense of irresponsible politics clearly overshadowed everything else. This is despicable and undesired. The only silver lining in this rancorous debate was that certain historic facts were re-emphasised and public memory re-ignited regarding the realities and developments related to the adoption of the first two stanzas of the National Song as the rallying call of the Freedom Struggle. The manner in which the ruling NDA and its top leaders sought to dissect events through a divisive prism not only showed a lack of understanding but also betrayed the freedom fighters. The fact of the matter is that instead of making it a well-structured debate, the movers of the idea focused on what they described as the “mutilation of the song,” linking it to a social resolution of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held in Calcutta on October 30, 1937. What had been a strong uniting factor throughout was torn asunder within hours. The repeated attempts by the BJP’s top leadership to turn the clock back and view events of past centuries in the context of electoral convenience, rather than adopting a broader national perspective, will only create complications.  Power play has its own way and at times takes its toll.

The particular CWC meeting has apparently been made a target because it was chaired by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the prime target of Mr Modi and the broader Sangh Parivar. The fact that the session was attended by stalwarts such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Bhulabhai Desai, Jamnalal Bajaj, Acharya JB Kripalani (General Secretary), Pattabhi Sitaramayya, Rajaji, Acharya Narendra Dev, Jayaprakash Narayan, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, all of whom gave their consent, makes it significant. Although Mahatma Gandhi was not a member of the CWC, he was a special invitee and oversaw the proceedings.

The resolution, moved by Dr Rajendra Prasad   and seconded by Sardar Patel, shows that its adoption reflected the collective wisdom of the nation represented by these towering leaders. The resolution was unanimous. It read: “The Working Committee have given careful consideration to the question that has been raised in regard to the Congress anthem ‘Vande Mataram’. This song has a historic background and has evoked deep enthusiasm and powerful sentiment in the course of our struggle for freedom. It has thus acquired a unique place in the national movement. The Committee recognise the validity of the objections raised by Muslim friends to certain parts of the song. While the Committee have taken note of such objections insofar as it has felt justified in doing so, it is unable to go any further in the matter. The Committee have, however, come to the conclusion that the first two stanzas of the song, which alone have been generally sung on Congress and other public occasions, should be the only stanzas adopted as the National Song for the purposes of Congress and other public bodies and functions.

These two stanzas are in no sense objectionable even from the standpoint of those who have raised objections, and they contain the essence of the song. The Committee recommend that wherever the ‘Vande Mataram’ song is sung at national gatherings, only these two stanzas should be sung.” The fact that Mr Jayaprakash Narayan, who led the historic political upheaval in 1977 that saw the ouster of the Indira Gandhi-led Congress and the formation of a non-Congress government of which the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the erstwhile avatar of the BJP, was a part, and Sardar Patel, the adopted (and often usurped) icon of the BJP, had agreed with the resolution was perhaps conveniently forgotten by the ruling elite of the day. By targeting this resolution, they attacked a spectrum of national leaders who played important roles not only in the Freedom Struggle but also in laying the foundation of free India and shaping its polity.

Raising doubts about the purpose and spirit of the National Song in its present form, while ignoring facts to score political brownie points and pour scorn on eminent political leaders of yore, is certainly not in the national interest. The manner in which the debate happened has widened the chasm between the ruling and opposition parties, to the great consternation of the country.

The writer is a political and national affairs analyst; views are personal