New Delhi: The BJP on Friday slammed the Congress over the adoption of a truncated version of Vande Mataram in 1937 under the presidentship of Jawaharlal Nehru.
The party alleged that the Congress, pandering to its “communal agenda”, removed the stanzas from the national song which hailed Goddess Durga.
BJP national spokesperson C R Kesavan also took on Rahul Gandhi, alleging that Nehru’s “anti-Hindu mentality” finds a “pungent echo” in the Congress leader, who recently “demeaned and maligned” the Chhath Puja as a “drama”, hurting the sentiments of crores of devotees.
“It is imperative for our younger generation to know how the Congress party brazenly pandering to its communal agenda under the Presidentship of Nehru, adopted only a truncated Vande Mataram as the party’s national song in its 1937 Faizpur Session,” Kesavan said in a post on X.
“It did not belong to any particular religion or language. But the Congress committed the historic sin and blunder of linking the song with religion. Congress, under Nehru, citing religious grounds deliberately removed stanzas of Vande Mataram which hailed Goddess Ma Durga,” he charged.
Kesavan claimed that Nehru, in a letter dated September 1, 1937, “spitefully” wrote that anybody considering the words in Vande Mataram as anything to do with a goddess was “absurd.”
Nehru also “derisively” opined that Vande Mataram was not suitable as a national song, he added.
The BJP leader claimed that Netaji Subash Chandra Bose had “strongly” advocated for the full original version of Vande Mataram.
“On Oct 20, 1937, Nehru wrote to Netaji Bose claiming that the background of Vande Mataram was likely to irritate Muslims. He went on to say that there does seem to be substance regarding outcry against Vande Mataram and people who are communalistically inclined have been affected by it,” he added.
Kesavan said the “glorious” Vande Mataram became the voice of the nation’s unity and solidarity, “celebrating our motherland, instilling nationalistic spirit and fostering patriotism.”
“In 1937, if Nehru as Congress president blanked out the mention of Goddess Ma Durga by truncating Vande Mataram, Rahul Gandhi in March 2024 maliciously remarked: ‘There is a word called Shakti in Hindu Dharma and we are fighting against Shakti’,” Kesavan said.
“The Hindu ‘virodhi’ (anti-Hindu) mentality of Nehru finds a pungent echo in Rahul Gandhi who recently demeaned and maligned the sacred Chhath Puja as a drama, hurting the sentiments of crores of devotees,” he charged.
BJP IT department head Amit Malviya alleged that the original version of Vande Mataram had been truncated because Nehru himself explained to Jinnah that “certain stanzas were objectionable to Muslims.”
“In a letter to Jinnah dated 25 October 1937, Nehru wrote that only the first two verses of Vande Mataram would be used because the later portions contain certain allusions which might offend the susceptibilities of our Muslim friends,” Malviya claimed.
“So, the national song that inspired millions during the freedom struggle was censored — not by the British, but by our own leaders, to appease communal sentiments,” he said.
“This is the uncomfortable truth behind why we sing only two verses today,” he added.
