As the nation commemorate 150 years of Vande Mataram, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused that the Congress had dropped important stanzas of the national song in 1937, which ultimately sowed the seeds of partition. The prime minister made the remarks while inaugurating the year-long commemoration of Vande Mataram to mark 150 years of the national song.
"Vande Mataram became the voice of India's freedom struggle, it expressed the feelings of every Indian. Unfortunately, in 1937, important stanzas of Vande Mataram... a part of its soul, were separated. The division of Vande Mataram also sowed the seeds of partition. Today's generation needs to know why this injustice was done with this 'maha mantra' of nation building... this divisive mindset is still a challenge for the country," PM Modi was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
So, what lines were omitted?
Vande Mataram was penned by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in Sanskrit and Bengali. It appeared first in his 1882 novel Anandamath and comprises six verses. Since then, it was sung in most of the political protests and meetings. In 1937, Congress adopted the first two verses of Vande Mataram as the national song.
The remaining four verses were not adopted by the Congress as they included references to Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati, and the grand old party wanted to maintain the secular appeal of the song.
"Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen, with her hands that strike and her swords of sheen, Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned..." the fourth verse of the Vande Mataram read.
What did Congress say on omitting the last four verses?
In its resolution that was drafted by Mahatma Gandhi in 1939, the Congress said it has retained only the "those stanzas to which no objection could be taken on religious and other grounds".
"But except at purely Congress gatherings it should be left open to individuals whether they will stand up when the stanzas are sung. In the present state of things, in Local Board and Assembly meetings, which their members are obliged to attend, the singing of Vande Mataram should be discontinued," the resolution stated.
Congress hits back at PM Modi
Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday slammed PM Modi over his claims and alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) only 'avoided' Vande Mataram despite its universal reverence.
He also said that the BJP and the RSS never sing the 'Jana Gana Mana' and the 'Vande Mataram' at their shakhas and offices, and instead continue to sing 'Namaste Sada Vatsale'.
"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 Gandhi ji's assassination," Kharge said.
Also Read - Vande Mataram row: BJP accuses Congress of removing Maa Durga stanzas under Nehru's leadership
