New Delhi: BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan on Friday accused the Congress party of deliberately altering the national song Vande Mataram, claiming that stanzas praising Goddess Durga were removed in 1937 under Jawaharlal Nehru’s leadership.
Kesavan alleged that this decision was made to appease certain communal groups, sparking debate about the song’s original form and intent.
In a post on X, Kesavan claimed that only the first two stanzas were accepted by the Congress, omitting later verses that invoke Goddess Maa Durga, due to alleged communal considerations.
He further contrasted this with the current celebrations of the song’s 150-year commemoration, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which include a mass singing of the full version.
The social media post reads, “It is imperative for our younger generation to know how the Congress party brazenly pandering to its communal agenda under the Presidentship of Nehru, adopted only a truncated Vande Mataram as the party’s national song in its 1937 Faizpur Session, while PM @narendramodi ji today will inaugurate the 150th year commemoration & participate in the mass recital of the full version of our glorious Vande Mataram across the nation.”
He added that the song “did not belong to any particular religion or language” but accused the Congress of committing a “historic sin and blunder” by linking it with religion and removing its devotional invocations to the goddess.
“The glorious Vande Mataram became the voice of our nation’s unity and solidarity, celebrating our motherland, instilling nationalistic spirit and fostering patriotism. Chanting it was made a criminal offence by the British. It did not belong to any particular religion or language. But the Congress committed the historic sin and blunder of linking the song with religion. Congress under Nehru, citing religious grounds, deliberately removed stanzas of Vande Mataram, which hailed Goddess Ma Durga,” the BJP leader posted on X.
The controversy surrounding Vande Mataram stems from its origins in Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Anandamath, where it’s seen as a symbol of national unity and resistance against British rule. However, some Muslims objected to the song, viewing it as promoting Hindu nationalism.
In 1937, the Congress Working Committee decided to sing only the first two stanzas, aiming to avoid offending Muslim sensitivities. This decision was influenced by concerns that the song’s imagery, particularly references to Goddess Durga, might be seen as exclusionary.
Kesavan cited an October 20, 1937, letter from Nehru to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in which Nehru reportedly wrote that the song’s background “might irritate” Muslims and further stated that Netaji Bose had strongly advocated for the full, original version of Vande Mataram.
“In a letter dated Sep 1, 1937, Nehru spitefully writes that anybody considering the words in Vande Mataram as anything to do with a Goddess was absurd. He also derisively opines that Vande Mataram is not suitable as a national song. Netaji Subash Bose had strongly advocated for the full original version of Vande Mataram. On Oct 20, 1937, Nehru wrote to Netaji Bose claiming that the background of Vande Mataram was likely to irritate Muslims. He went on to say that there does seem to be substance regarding outcry against Vande Mataram and people who are communalistically inclined have been affected by it,” the BJP spokesperson said in the post.
Kesavan drew a parallel between Nehru’s alleged actions and recent remarks by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying, “In 1937, if Nehru, as Congress President, blanked out the mention of Goddess Ma Durga by truncating Vande Mataram, Rahul Gandhi in March 2024 maliciously remarked, ‘There is a word called Shakti in Hindu Dharma and we are fighting against Shakti’. The Hindu Virodhi mentality of Nehru finds a pungent echo in Rahul Gandhi, who recently demeaned and maligned the sacred Chatth Puja as a drama, hurting the sentiments of crores of devotees.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the year-long commemoration of the National Song “Vande Mataram” at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, on Friday morning.
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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