Speaking at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, PM Modi alleged that during the Congress’s 1937 Faizabad session, “important stanzas” were deliberately removed from the original composition of India’s national song Vande Mataram.
Marking the 150th anniversary of India’s national song Vande Mataram, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, accusing it of distorting the song’s essence and sowing the “seeds of partition.” Speaking at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, PM Modi alleged that during the Congress’s 1937 Faizabad session, “important stanzas” were deliberately removed from the original composition. “Unfortunately, in 1937, important stanzas were removed from the original Vande Bharat song. Vande Bharat was broken into pieces. This also sowed the seeds of partition. Why was this injustice done? The same divisive ideology remains a challenge for the nation,” he said.
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PM Modi said the song continues to stir patriotic fervour and inspire generations, urging India’s youth to stay focused on the dream of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India). “On our way to Viksit Bharat, we will find people who misguide us… Vande Mataram inspires us. How can a mother who has crores of children be weak? Bharat Mata has 140 crore children, has 280 crore arms, and more than 60% are young. We have the world’s biggest demographic advantage. Nothing is impossible for us,” the Prime Minister said.
Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge hits back: ‘RSS Never Sang Vande Mataram’
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hit back, accusing the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of hypocrisy. “It is deeply ironic that those who today claim to be the self-proclaimed guardians of nationalism — the RSS and the BJP — have never sung Vande Mataram or our National Anthem Jana Gana Mana in their shakhas or offices. Instead, they continue to sing Namaste Sada Vatsale, a song glorifying their organisations, not the nation,” Kharge said.
He further alleged that “since its founding in 1925, the RSS has avoided Vande Mataram, despite its universal reverence.” Highlighting the Congress tradition, Kharge said the party has proudly sung Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana at every meeting since 1986. “The Congress Party takes immense pride in both Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana. Both songs are sung with reverence at every Congress gathering and event, symbolising India’s unity and pride,” he noted.
Kharge accused the RSS of siding with the British during India’s freedom movement. “It is a well-known fact that the RSS and Sangh Parivar supported the British against Indians in the National Movement, did not raise the National Flag for 52 years, abused the Constitution of India, burnt effigies of Bapu and Babasaheb Ambedkar, and, in the words of Sardar Patel, were involved in Gandhiji’s assassination,” he said.
‘Vande Mataram’ Song
PM Modi said Bankim Chandra Chatterjee penned Vande Mataram at a time when India was crushed under colonial rule and exploitation. “When Bankim Babu composed Vande Mataram, India was far removed from its golden era… Even in those dire circumstances, Bankim Babu called for a prosperous India,” Modi said, adding that the line Sujalam, Suphalam shattered the British narrative portraying India as backward.
He described the song as both a call to independence and a vision of a flourishing India. “Vande Mataram not only became the song of independence, but also presented that prosperous, fruitful dream of what an independent India would be like,” he said.
PM Modi invoked the deep-rooted philosophy of viewing the nation as a mother. “Our Vedas have taught us that the nation is our mother and we are her children… The emotion that a nation can be a mother may surprise those who view nations as mere geopolitical entities. But India is different,” he said, adding that this sentiment placed women and the feminine power—Shakti—at the heart of nation-building.
He quoted Rabindranath Tagore, who described Bankim Chandra’s Anandamath as “not just a novel, but a dream of an independent India.” Calling the occasion “a historic day,” Modi said, “Today, November 7, is a historic day… This event will generate new energy among crores of Indians. My greetings to every citizen on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram.”
‘Historic Sin’: What BJP said
Earlier, BJP spokesperson C.R. Kesavan accused Jawaharlal Nehru of committing a “historic sin” by omitting stanzas referring to Goddess Durga from Vande Mataram at the 1937 Congress session. He cited Nehru’s letter to Subhash Chandra Bose, which reportedly called the hymn unsuitable as a national song.
Kesavan claimed that the Congress “deliberately removed” the Durga verses to appease communal sentiments — linking Nehru’s decision to Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks on Shakti, describing it as part of a “Hindu Virodhi mentality.”
To mark the 150-year legacy of Vande Mataram, the government has announced a year-long celebration, including a commemorative coin and postal stamp. Originally composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875 and later included in his novel Anandamath, the song — set to music by Rabindranath Tagore — became the rousing anthem that echoed through India’s freedom struggle.