Gurugram: The Modi government’s decision to revise the national song, Vande Mataram, as adopted by the Constituent Assembly, has triggered a political row again, with the Opposition accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “rewriting history” with an eye on the West Bengal elections.
In a 10-page order, issued to all states and union territories on 28 January, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) released the “official version” of the song written by Bengali novelist-poet Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. The official version includes the four stanzas that the poet had added to his original two-stanza soliloquy but which were not included in the song adopted by the Constituent Assembly.
The Congress had dropped these lines, which appeared in Chatterjee’s novel Anandmath, in 1937 following objections by the Muslim League to idolatrous references. On 24 January 1950, the Constituent Assembly had adopted the truncated version, which left out four stanzas with references to Hindu goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.
During the Lok Sabha discussion on the national song on its 150th anniversary in December last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had slammed India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for coming under pressure of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He had also criticised the Congress for truncating Chatterjee’s song, saying that this “betrayal” sowed the seeds of Partition.
Back then, former BJP president J.P.Nadda argued that the national song should be accorded the same status as the national anthem and national flag. The Congress countered saying that the BJP’s emphasis on Vande Mataram was politically motivated, aimed at consolidating support ahead of elections in West Bengal.
The MHA order has mandated the complete six-stanza version, lasting 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Under the new rules, the national song must be played at civil investitures, presidential and gubernatorial arrivals and departures at state functions, before and after presidential addresses to the nation, and when the national flag is paraded.
The order states that when both the national song and anthem are played together, Vande Mataram will be played first, with everyone required to stand at attention.
Cinema halls have been exempted from the new requirements. The order states that screening Vande Mataram in theatres before films is not mandatory, a clarification that prevents a repeat of the Supreme Court directives on the national anthem in 2016.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen accused the BJP of rewriting history ahead of the West Bengal elections, alleging that it lacked any legacy linked to the freedom struggle and was raising the issue purely for electoral gains.
“They have no legacy of participating in the independence movement. They are doing this with an eye on the Bengal polls. The first two stanzas were adopted and sung on the suggestion of Rabindranath Tagore. Who are Modi and Shah to override Tagore? The people of Bengal will never accept it,” Sen said.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari also linked the controversy to the upcoming elections, claiming the move was politically motivated. “This is aimed at the Bengal Assembly polls. When the Congress had made Vande Mataram the rallying cry of the freedom movement, these people were writing letters seeking induction into the British Army,” he said.
Also Read: From Bankim’s private musings to a war cry—the many lives of Vande Mataram
What new order says
The MHA order provides the complete lyrics of all six stanzas of Vande Mataram in both Sanskrit and Hindi transliteration. The disputed stanzas contain invocations such as ‘Tvam hi Durga dasa-praharana-dharini (You are Durga, wielder of the ten weapons)’ and references to other Hindu goddesses.
At schools, the day’s work may begin with community singing of the national song, and authorities should make adequate provision for popularising it alongside the national anthem and respect for the national flag, according to the order.
The directive clarifies that when the national song appears in newsreels or documentaries, the audience is not expected to stand, as doing so would interrupt the film and create disorder. However, during formal occasions, standing at attention is mandatory.
It permits mass singing of the national song on ceremonial occasions other than parades, with printed lyrics to be circulated if needed. On occasions of significance because of the presence of ministers or dignitaries, singing accompanied by mass participation is described as desirable.
The guidelines do not apply to private functions or non-governmental events. The mandatory requirement extends only to official government programmes, state schools, and formal occasions involving constitutional functionaries.
With inputs from Sourav Roy Barman
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Vande Mataram was anti-British. Here’s how it became ‘anti-Muslim’