NEW DELHI: Opposition parties on Monday said the discussion on Vande Mataram in Parliament was timed for the approaching West Bengal assembly polls and that the government wanted to divert attention from the problems people were facing.Participating in a discussion in Lok Sabha on 150 years of the national song, penned by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at Modi, saying he is not the PM he used to be as his “self-confidence was decreasing and policies were weakening the country”. The Wayanad MP also slammed BJP for targeting India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru and alleged the govt wanted the debate to make fresh charges against those who fought for the country’s freedom.The Congress MP also listed the “chronology” of ‘Vande Mataram’, citing Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s letter to which Nehru replied, to rebut the PM’s charge that Congress indulged in politics of appeasement over the national song.Let’s have debate on Nehru, close that chapter: Priyanka GandhiModi ji mentioned a letter in the House, in which he said that on Oct 20, Nehru ji had written to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. But the PM did not mention the letter written on Oct 17, which Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose ji had written to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji… PM Modi quoted one line of this (Nehru’s) reply here, but the rest of what Nehru ji wrote was – ‘there is no doubt that the present outcry against Vande Mataram is to a large extent a manufactured one by the Communalists. Whatever we do, we cannot pander to Communalist feelings’,” Priyanka Gandhi said.Referring to Modi’s speech, she said, “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 once and for all,” she said, adding that “after that, let’s talk about today’s issues – price rise and unemployment…The topic that we are discussing is part of the soul of the country. When we mention ‘Vande ‘Mataram’, it reminds us of the history of our freedom struggle. This debate is strange; this song has made a place in people’s hearts; so what is the need for a debate?” Priyanka said. In 1896, Rabindranath Tagore sang it for the first time at a Congress session, she said.She added questioning the decision of having the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ as the national song was akin to questioning the Constituent Assembly and its members.Congress deputy leader in LS Gaurav Gogoi said it is the PM’s habit to keep referring to Nehru and Congress whenever he speaks on any issue. “He (Modi) took Nehru ji’s name 14 times and that of Congress 50 times during the debate on Operation Sindoor. When there was a discussion on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution, Nehru’s name was taken 10 times and that of Congress 26 times.” “During the discussion on the President’s address in 2022, he took Nehru ji’s name 15 times. The PM, during the discussion on the President’s address in 2020, took Nehru ji’s name 20 times. I want to say with utmost humility to Modi ji and his entire system, no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to put even a single blot on Pandit Nehru’s contributions.” Gogoi said the PM’s speech had two objectives – “to rewrite history and give a political color to this debate”.
