The debate marking 150 years of Vande Mataram in Parliament saw a heated slugfest between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that, unfortunately, on 26 October 1937, Congress compromised on Vande Mataram, fragmenting it in their decision. He noted that this decision was cloaked under the guise of social harmony, but history bears witness that Congress bowed before the Muslim League and acted under its pressure, adopting a politics of appeasement. On the other hand, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra linked the debate to the Bengal polls as the verses were written by Bankim Chandra in 1875.
Before we go into the details, let’s first decode some key points related to the Vande Mataram:
What Is “Vande Mataram”?
“Vande Mataram” is a Sanskrit phrase meaning “I bow to thee, Mother”. It comes from the novel Anandamath by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. The song was later set to music by Rabindranath Tagore and emerged as a powerful rallying cry during India’s freedom struggle. It was first sung prominently at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.
Post-Independence, India did not make “Vande Mataram” the national anthem. Instead, “Jana Gana Mana” by Tagore became the anthem. Through a 1950 resolution, “Vande Mataram” was accorded the status of the National Song, recognising its historical importance but keeping it distinct from the anthem.
Where Did The Controversy Come From?
The tension originates from the later verses of the song, which describe the nation as a goddess — Durga and other Hindu imagery. While the first two stanzas are largely non-religious and poetic, later stanzas invoke deity-based symbolism.
Some Muslim groups during the colonial era argued that singing the full version conflicted with Islamic monotheism. This debate surfaced as early as the 1920s–30s inside the Congress itself, which eventually took the position that only the first two stanzas should be promoted in official use.
So the root cause is not modern politics, but a long-standing tension between:
* cultural nationalism rooted in Hindu imagery, and
* India’s constitutional commitment to religious pluralism.
Did BJP Reframe It As Hindu–Muslim Fault Line?
The BJP’s political strategy has been to move Vande Mataram from a historical symbol to a loyalty test.
Over the last decade, the party and its ecosystem — including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh — have repeatedly framed refusal or hesitation to chant “Vande Mataram” as:
* being “anti-national”, or
* “appeasement” of minorities.
In election seasons, especially in polarised states, the slogan is pushed:
* inside legislatures,
* in public rallies, and
* through social media campaigns.
Congress, TMC In Tight Spot
The Congress is historically linked to Vande Mataram. It mainstreamed the song in the freedom struggle and institutionalised its “national song” status. But today, when Congress criticises the BJP’s use of the slogan, it risks appearing anti-tradition or indecisive. If it doubles down on defending the song, it risks alienating minority voters. This makes the party’s position appear reactive and defensive.
In the Bengal context, Congress attempts to link this debate to election polarisation, but it lacks organisational strength on the ground to effectively shape the narrative. However, if the BJP manages to link it to Bengali pride, the Congress and TMC may find themselves at the backfoot.
The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) faces a sharper challenge as it relies heavily on women and minority voters. It also draws from Bengali cultural pride, where Vande Mataram has deep roots. Any strong anti-Vande Mataram stance can be framed as “anti-Bengal culture”.
Any strong pro-Vande Mataram stance can disturb its minority base. This makes TMC appear tactically cautious, which the BJP often brands as “appeasement politics”.
Can BJP Really Benefit In Bengal?
While the BJP’s arguments in favour of the Vande Mataram may echo with the Bengal voters, it may not necessarily translate into electoral gains. Earlier, the saffron party had extensively used Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s name but that did not yield the desired results for the BJP.
Bengal’s political culture has a strong tradition of linguistic and cultural nationalism that is not automatically aligned with religious majoritarianism. Bengali identity politics often resists overt North Indian–style Hindutva symbolism.
The BJP can extract marginal electoral gains from the Vande Mataram debate in Bengal, but it cannot fully convert it into a dominant emotional movement unless it successfully redefines Bengali cultural pride in purely religious terms — something that has historically been difficult in the state.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
