Defence Minister Rajanth Singh on Monday addressed the special discussion in Lok Sabha on the 150th anniversary of 'Vande Mataram' and said the national anthem became the pulse of the nation and a mantra across the world. While speaking at the Parliament Winter Session in the Lok Sabha, Rajnath Singh said,"In 1906, India’s first flag was designed, and Vande Mataram was written at the centre of that flag, which was hoisted in Bengal for the first time. In August 1906, a newspaper titled Vande Mataram was also launched to raise public awareness. This was the time when Vande Mataram was not just a word, it was a feeling, a source of motivation, and a poem…"
Saying that Vande Mataram is complete in itself, Rajnath said various attempts were made to make it incomplete.
Vande Mataram did not get the justice it deserved
“It is the demand of the time to return Vande Mataram to its glory. Vande Mataram was marginalised post Independence and did not get the justice it deserved,” Rajnath Singh said in Lok Sabha.
Vande Mataram was not limited to Bengal: Rajnath
Rajnath Singh also added that Vande Mataram was not limited to Bengal as it was used from east to west, and not just in India, people outside India also used to chant it.
The Defence Minister said that under the leadership of PM Modi, all will celebrate the 150 years of Vande Mataram and accord it the status it deserves.
He went on to add that those who had a problem with or scared of a united India objected to the remaining stanzas of the national song. "My only question is, why did the Congress support such people?"
Priyanka says Centre wanted debate on Vande Mataram for Bengal polls
Earlier in the day, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the government pushed for a debate on Vande Mataram as the West Bengal assembly polls were approaching and that it wanted to divert attention from the problems people were facing.
While taking part in a discussion in the Lok Sabha on 150 years of national song Vande Mataram, she hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he is not the prime minister he used to be as his "self-confidence was decreasing and policies were weakening the country".
The Congress MP from Wayanad slammed the BJP for targeting first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and alleged that the government wanted this debate to make fresh allegations against those who fought for the country's freedom.
"Since you keep talking about Nehru, let's do one thing, let's assign a time for a discussion, list out all the insults against him... debate it and let's close the chapter for once and all," she said. "After that, let’s talk about today’s issues - price rise and unemployment," she said.
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