Priyanka Gandhi Questions Timing of Vande Mataram Debate, Links Move to Bengal Elections

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday sharply criticised the government in the Lok Sabha, questioning why a debate on Vande Mataram was being initiated now, and alleging that the timing was politically motivated ahead of the upcoming Bengal Assembly elections. She argued that the national song, long embraced across the country, did not require a fresh parliamentary discussion unless the motive was to divert public attention from pressing national concerns.

Speaking during the special discussion marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, Gandhi said the ruling party was attempting to revive old cultural debates to shift focus away from issues such as inflation, unemployment and economic distress. She stated that the government “prefers to keep looking into the past because it does not want to address the present or the future,” adding that the commemoration was being turned into an electoral tool.

Gandhi also accused the Prime Minister of presenting a distorted historical narrative by suggesting that earlier political leaders had deliberately truncated the song. She clarified that the decision to adopt only the first two stanzas was taken after deliberation within the Congress in 1937 to ensure that the song remained inclusive and acceptable to all communities at a time of growing communal tension. According to her, this version continues to be the one recognised and sung nationwide.

The Congress leader criticised what she called a “selective use of history” for political benefit, arguing that the ruling party was attempting to create fresh controversy around a culturally unifying song. She urged Parliament to use its time to address real issues affecting citizens instead of engaging in debates she described as unnecessary and politically charged.