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Parliament is poised for a significant debate marking 150 years of Indias national song, Vande Mataram. What began as a commemoration has escalated into a charged political showdown between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to open proceedings in the Lok Sabha, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh concluding, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah will lead discussions in the Rajya Sabha. The opposition will field prominent speakers like Gaurav Gogoi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The core of the dispute revolves around historical interpretations of the song. The Prime Minister has accused Congress of removing important stanzas from Vande Mataram in 1937, claiming this weakened the songs original spirit. This argument is reportedly part of a broader vision for a Viksit Bharat, linking cultural heritage to national progress.
Conversely, Congress defends the 1937 decision as a carefully considered compromise, advised by figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, and Rabindranath Tagore. They state that the omitted stanzas contained religious imagery that was not universally acceptable.
The opposition also alleges that the BJP is "weaponising" history to divert attention from pressing contemporary issues like unemployment and economic inequality. The debate is set to be a high-voltage exchange concerning history, politics, and national identity.
