NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday accused India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of committing a “historic sin” by truncating certain parts of Vande Matram which hailed Goddess Durga.In a social media post on X, BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan said that Congress, under Nehru’s presidentship, adopted only a truncated Vande Mataram as the party’s national song in its 1937 Faizpur session. He also cited Nehru’s letter to Subhash Chandra Bose where Nehru said that Vande Matram has nothing to do with Goddess Durga and opines that Vande Mataram is not suitable as a national song.“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 Narendra Modi today will inaugurate the 150th year commemoration & participate in the mass recital of the full version of our glorious Vande Mataram across the nation,” Kesavan said.
“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 offense 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,” he added.The BJP leader also attacked leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, claiming that “Hindu Virodhi mentality” of Nehru finds a pungent echo in Congress leader’s recent remarks on Chatth Puja.“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,” he said.“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,” he added.This comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch year long celebrations to commemorate 150 years of national song at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Friday. He will also release a commemorative stamp and coin during the event.The programme will mark the formal launch of the year-long nationwide commemoration of the composition that inspired India’s freedom movement and continues to evoke national pride and unity.Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, ‘Vande Mataram’ was first published in the literary journal ‘Bangadarshan’ on November 7, 1875.“Later, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee incorporated the hymn in his immortal novel ‘Anandamath’ which was published in 1882. It was set to music by Rabindranath Tagore. It has become an integral part of the nation’s civilisational, political and cultural consciousness,” a government statement said.
