Nehru followed Jinnah, claiming Vande Mataram could irritate Muslims, says PM Modi in LS

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a blistering attack on the Congress during a Lok Sabha discussion marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, accusing the party of betrayal by aligning with Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s objections to the national song.

PM Modi charged that Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, had followed Jinnah’s stand in 1937, claiming the hymn could “irritate Muslims”, and thereby compromised its legacy.

Linking this appeasement to later political decisions, PM Modi said Congress not only fractured Vande Mataram but also sowed the seeds of division in the nation, a politics he argued persists even today.

The BJP had already targeted the Congress party in the build-up to the debate, alleging that the party “pandered to a communal agenda” during its 1937 session by diluting Vande Mataram under pressure from the Muslim League.

PM Modi amplified that charge, linking the hymn’s history to what he described as Congress’ repeated betrayals. “When Vande Mataram celebrated its 100th anniversary, the country was entangled in the Emergency. At that time, the Constitution was strangled, and those who lived and died for patriotism were pushed behind bars,” PM Modi said, drawing a direct line between the suppression of democratic freedoms under Indira Gandhi and the sidelining of the song decades earlier.

The Prime Minister praised the hymn, composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in November 1875, as a rallying cry that inspired generations of freedom fighters. “Now, at 150 years, it is a good opportunity to restore the glory of Vande Mataram… which won us freedom in 1947,” he said.

PM Modi placed the commemoration in the wider context of national milestones. “We recently celebrated 75 years of our Constitution. The country celebrated the 150th birth anniversaries of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Lord Birsa Munda. We are also marking the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur ji. And today, we celebrate 150 years of Vande Mataram,” he told the House.

Calling the hymn a “mantra of sacrifice, unity and resilience”, PM Modi urged Parliament to ensure its legacy is preserved for future generations. “This is not just a tribute to history but a reaffirmation of our democratic spirit. The lessons of the past must continue to guide our future,” he said.

IANS