Kharge Slams PM Modi's Vande Mataram Debate, Calls it a Diversion from Real Issues

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Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using the Vande Mataram debate as a tactic to divert attention from pressing issues such as economic challenges, foreign policy concerns, and internal security matters. Kharge made these remarks in Rajya Sabha during a discussion on the 150th anniversary of India's national song, Vande Mataram. He claimed that the Prime Minister's focus on the national song was a ploy to distract the public from real problems, including a falling rupee and hardships faced by common people. The Congress president also took issue with the Prime Minister's assertion that India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, removed stanzas from the song under pressure from Muslim League leader Md. Ali Jinnah. Kharge disputed this claim, citing a letter written by Nehru to Subhas Chandra Bose in 1937, in which Nehru expressed reservations about the potential impact of the song on Muslims. Kharge also pointed out that the Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution in 1937 recommending that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung at national gatherings. He claimed that this decision was taken in the spirit of social harmony and to avoid offending Muslims. The Congress leader accused the Prime Minister of spreading lies and smearing national heroes to cover up the government's failures. He urged the government to learn to respect the heroes who drafted the Constitution and led the freedom movement, and to focus on addressing the country's pressing issues rather than engaging in divisive politics. The Vande Mataram debate has sparked a heated exchange between the Congress and the ruling BJP, with the Prime Minister accusing the Congress of compromising on the song in the past. The debate is seen as a prelude to the upcoming assembly elections in several states, where the BJP is seeking to capitalize on its nationalist narrative.