Debate on Vande Mataram Aimed at Clarifying History, Says J.P. Nadda

New Delhi, December 11, 2025- BJP national president and Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, J.P. Nadda, on Thursday said that the discussion held in Parliament on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram was meant to “place historical facts before the nation,” and not to criticise former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Concluding the debate in the Upper House,  Nadda accused the Congress of failing to give the national song its rightful place in post-Independence India. “Vande Mataram never received the honour it deserved. Those who governed at the time were responsible for this neglect,” he said.

Attacking the Congress for what he termed “selective memory,”  Nadda remarked, “If you want credit for the achievements of the Nehru era, then you must also acknowledge the mistakes.”

He cited archival references to argue that Nehru did not fully appreciate the cultural and national significance of the song. According to him, this attitude reflected a broader pattern of “compromises that weakened India’s cultural roots.”

Nadda also pointed out that the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 contains no punishment for refusing to sing or showing disrespect to Vande Mataram. “This gap exists because those in authority did not give the national song the status it deserved,” he said.

Linking the song to India’s freedom struggle and its emotional resonance, he said, “Nations are not built on compromises; they are built on unwavering national sentiment. Vande Mataram is deeply connected to our identity.”

The BJP president insisted that any meaningful commemoration of the 150th anniversary must include a commitment to give Vande Mataram the same constitutional status as the national anthem and national flag.

Responding to the criticism, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that both the national anthem and national song had always been treated with equal respect. He recalled that President Rajendra Prasad, during the Constituent Assembly’s final session on January 24, 1950, had formally affirmed their equal standing.