Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in the lower house over the Vande Mataram debate on Monday, December 8.
In his address to the Parliament, Gogoi said that the Congress party supported the Vande Mataram song. "Congress supported Vande Mataram. Congress gave importance to Vande Mataram to make it the national song of India. PM Modi takes Nehru Ji's name and Congress' name in every debate," Gogoi said in his response to Modi's speech on the patriotic song.
Meanwhile, the Congress leader stated that the "BJP sees all Bengalis as infiltrators. They never understood the nation that India is. We are protecting the Constitution."
He also targeted the PM for 'not mentioning the Delhi Blast' in his speech. "People of India are suffering, and there is no mention of it. PM Modi did not mention the Delhi blast once. We are not able to protect our citizens, neither in Delhi or Pahalgam. People are unable to breathe," he said.
Gogoi asks Centre to explain flight disruption chaos
Meanwhile, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition also asked the central government to give explanations on the flight disruptions in the last few days. "Through you, we request the Government, especially the Ministry of Civil Aviation, to explain to the country—through this House—why passengers across airports nationwide have been suffering for days.
"Many of them are dialysis patients, some have weddings at home, others need to visit their elderly relatives, yet there is complete chaos at airports. People are losing money," he said.
Modi speaks on Vande Mataram's importance, hits out at Congress
Meanwhile, PM Modi spoke on Vande Mataram and stated how it played a key role in inspiring freedom fighters during the British colonial period. "Vande mataram became the voice of our freedom movement. It integrated everyone in the country and became the resolve of every Indian... 'Swaarth ka balidaan hai ye shabd Vande Mataram'... 'Veer ka abhimaan hai ye shabd Vande Mataram'...
"During the British era, it became a fashion to show India as weak, useless, lazy, and demeaned in all possible ways. The same language was spoken by people in our country as well. Bankim da composed the song to shake the conscience of the country and bring an awakening... This song was to revive our history and legacy of a thousand years," he said.
He hit out at the Congress party and former PM Jawaharlal Nehru. "...Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru wrote that 'Vande Mataram's background in the Anand Matth can irritate Muslims'...," Modi said.
"... the Muslim League had started to strongly oppose Vande Mataram. Muhammad Ali Jinnah raised a slogan against Vande Mataram on 15 October 1937 from Lucknow... Despite giving a strong and befitting reply to the Muslim League's baseless statements, Nehru started investigating Vande Mataram.
"Five days after this, Nehru wrote a letter to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose mentioning that he agrees with the feeling of Mohammad Ali Jinnah and wrote, 'Vande Mataram's background in the Anand Matth can irritate Muslims'... After this, Congress stated that, from 26 October onwards, in Bengal, the use of Vande Mataram will be analysed... Unfortunately, on 26 October, Congress compromised on Vande Mataram. They bifurcated the song.
"The reason behind the decision was of social harmony, but history has it that Congress had knelt before the muslim league. This was their way to appease minorities... Later, Congress had to kneel and agree to the partition of India... Congress policies are still the same, and along the way, the Indian National Congress has become the Muslim League Congress (MLC). Even today, Congress and its allied parties oppose Vande Mataram and try to create controversy around it," he said.
