Parliament is taking up a special discussion on 150 years of Vande Mataram, with the ruling NDA likely to corner the Opposition, which may bring in the freedom struggle contribution context to the debate. The special discussion on the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’ will take place in the Lok Sabha, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi opening the debate.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are also scheduled to speak at the conclusion of the discussion. The BJP-led NDA government has been allotted three hours for its participation in the Lok Sabha debate, while a total of 10 hours has been earmarked for the entire discussion, as the debate will also take place in the upper house, the Rajya Sabha, on Tuesday, December 9.
BJP’s Dig At Congress, Nehru
Addressing the media yesterday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sambit Patra said the national song continues to symbolise the sacrifices that fuelled India’s freedom movement, urging citizens “to relive those times when our ancestors shed blood for this country, chanting Vande Mataram.” Patra further said that if “someone needs a dictionary to understand Vande Mataram, he isn’t a legacy-maker,” adding that the song’s meaning and emotional resonance were self-evident to generations of freedom fighters.
“Three points are noteworthy about Nehru from Sachiv Bhattacharya’s book: First, he read the English version of Anand Math six days before the CWC meeting, even though it was translated into Indian languages at the time… If someone needs a dictionary to understand this much (Vande Mataram), then he isn’t a legacy-maker,” said Patra, sharpening his attack on Jawaharlal Nehru, directly quoting the historian’s account, “Most importantly, he said that Vande Mataram is going to irritate the Muslims. This was Nehru’s false sense of secularism. Tomorrow, when there will be a discussion in Parliament on Vande Mataram, I feel that the legacy of Nehru will again be a subject of debate, discussion and might be exposed…”
Nehru’s Take On Vande Mataram
While former PM Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru called Vande Mataram as ‘premier national song of India’, he said that the song failed to fit the tune or musical score needed for a national anthem. Here are the key arguments made by Nehru on different occasions in favour of the ‘Jana gana mana’:
* A National Anthem is a form of words, but it is even more so a tune or a musical score. It is played by orchestras and bands frequently and is only very seldom sung. The music of the National Anthem is, therefore, the most important factor.
* It is to be played not only in India but abroad and should be such as is generally appreciated in both these places. Jana Gana Mana appears to satisfy these tests…Vande Mataram, for all its beauty and history, is not an easy tune for orchestral or band rendering. It is rather plaintive and mournful and repetitive.
* Vande Mataram is particularly difficult for foreigners to appreciate it as a piece of music. It has not got those peculiar, distinctive features which Jana Gana Mana has. It represents the period of our struggle in longing and not so much the fulfilment thereof in the future.”
* The language of Vande Mataram was “very difficult for an average person”, while Jana Gana Mana “is simpler.
* There is no question of some Muslims objecting to Vande Mataram. That has not influenced many people here, but many of us, and I feel strongly about it, think that in the present context, Vande Mataram is completely unsuited as a national anthem.
* It is unfortunate that some kind of argument has arisen as between Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana. Vande Mataram is obviously and indisputably the premier national song of India, with a great historical tradition, and intimately connected with our struggle for freedom.
D Raja Criticises BJP
Ahead of the Lok Sabha’s special discussion on 150 years of Vande Mataram, CPI General Secretary D Raja criticised the BJP-RSS, alleging that the ruling political bloc is attempting to use the occasion to advance its ideological narrative. Speaking to ANI on Sunday, he said that the BJP and RSS “try to use everything in order to promote their agenda,” adding that they project themselves as nationalists while dismissing others.
Raja questioned the historical role of the RSS in India’s freedom movement, asking whether the organisation participated in the independence struggle or contributed to the nation’s liberation. “What was the role played by the RSS? Did they participate in the freedom movement of the country? Did they work for the independence of the country? No,” he said, asserting that the organisation rose to political prominence only decades after independence. “This is what some political analysts are saying, elected autocracy, and they want to impose a monolithic, illiberal, and communal agenda on the people of our country, and they also try to use Vande Mataram to establish their presence and rewrite the history and redefine the Indian nation roots,” he added. (With ANI inputs)
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