During a discussion on Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commemorated the 150th anniversary of the national song and highlighted its historic role in countering British colonial strategies.
Recalling how the British adopted the policy of divide and rule, the Prime Minister said they began this tactic in Bengal, believing that if they could fracture Bengal, they could fracture India itself. It was precisely during the 1905 partition of Bengal that Vande Mataram emerged as a powerful symbol of resistance, turning into a clarion call for unity and posing a direct challenge to British authority.
"The British understood that it was difficult for them to control India after 1857. They knew that their plans to divide India and make people fight each other would be hard to execute, so they opted for divide and rule, making Bengal their experimental centre. Those were the days when Bengal's intellectual power guided the country..."
"Britishers started to divide and rule from Bengal. They knew if they could break Bengal, they could break the country. But at that time, Vande Mataram, emerging from the same state, became a challenge for them and stood rock solid for the country. It became a clarion call for our unity, the PM said.
He further stated that the British were so alarmed by its power that they were forced to ban Vande Mataram outright, even introducing stringent laws to prohibit its printing, publication, and dissemination.
“Vande Mataram was written at a time when British rulers were trying to impose ‘God Save the Queen’ on Indian households, and said the song went beyond being a political mantra for freedom. Vande Mataram is not just a mantra for political freedom; it was a sacred war cry to rid Bharatmata of vestiges of colonialism,” the PM said.
Further, PM Modi, while recalling the song's centenary, slammed Congress for Emergency and said the constitution choked when the Vande Mataram completed 100 years.
The Parliament had set aside 10 hours for a special discussion on Vande Mataram in both Houses as the national song completes 150 years. Priyanka Gandhi Vandra will lead the discussion for the Opposition.
Also Read: Indian missions worldwide mark 150 years of Vande Mataram
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