New Delhi, Dec 11 (LatestNewsX) – At the end of yesterday’s session in the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the House J.P. Nadda intensified his criticism of the Congress party, accusing its leaders of repeatedly sidelining the national hymn Vande Mataram.
During a sharp intervention on the debate over national symbols, Nadda claimed that former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath had “deleted” Vande Mataram from the official schedule on the first working day of every month. He also alleged that Karnataka’s former chief minister Siddaramaiah had ordered Congress legislators not to sing the song on Constitution Day.
Nadda framed the issue within a broader conversation about the historic and cultural weight of the composition, which has long served as a rallying cry of India’s freedom movement. He noted that past and present Congress governments have shown a consistent reluctance to embrace the hymn, despite its deep resonance with the country’s civilizational ethos. “This is not about the BJP, RSS or Jan Sangh,” he said, “but about words that have emerged from thousands of years of Indian history and are inseparable from our culture.”
By citing Kamal Nath’s decision in Madhya Pradesh, Nadda sought to highlight what he called a deliberate attempt to dilute national sentiment. He reminded the House that the controversy over the song is not a new one, pointing to Jawaharlal Nehru’s own reservations in the 1930s, when he described parts of the composition as “absurd” or difficult for common people to understand. Nadda argued that such attitudes have carried forward into contemporary Congress politics, as evidenced by decisions made by state governments. In addition, he added that the Karnataka government had similarly restricted the song’s recital in official settings, a claim that added fresh fuel to the debate.
The comments drew sharp responses from opposition benches, with Congress members accusing the BJP of twisting history and politicising cultural symbols for electoral advantage. The exchange underscored the ideological split over national symbols, with the BJP framing Vande Mataram as a timeless expression of patriotism, while the Congress defended its leaders’ actions as pragmatic or inclusive.
Concluding his remarks, J.P. Nadda insisted that the discussion would only be truly significant if Vande Mataram were given the same respect as the National Anthem and the National Flag. He emphasized that the song embodies India’s cultural ethos and deserves equal recognition.
In reply, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh reminded the House that Dr. Rajendra Prasad had made a similar statement in 1950, affirming that the National Anthem and the National Song hold the same status. He added that the Constituent Assembly had explicitly endorsed this parity decades ago.
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