Indira Gandhi Imprisoned Those Who Spoke Vande Mataram: Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress during the Rajya Sabha debate on Vande Mataram, saying that the suppression of the national song began during the Indira Gandhi era, when "those who spoke Vande Mataram were imprisoned" and newspapers were shut down.

Shah said that while every major milestone of a great creation is celebrated in India, Vande Mataram did not receive due recognition during previous anniversaries because of Congress leadership."When Vande Mataram completed 50 years, the country was not yet independent. When its golden jubilee arrived, Jawaharlal Nehru split it into two parts. When it turned 100 years old, there was no glorification because those who spoke Vande Mataram were imprisoned by Indira ji during the Emergency," he said, recalling the arrests of opposition leaders, social workers, and volunteers, as well as the censoring of newspapers.

Union Home Minister targeting Congress said that the party's "appeasement politics" surrounding the national song contributed to the division of India."Many people like me believe that if Congress had not divided Vande Mataram under its policy of appeasement, the country would not have been divided, and today the country would be whole," Shah said, asserting that Jawaharlal Nehru's decision to limit the song to two stanzas during its golden jubilee marked the beginning of political appeasement.

Shah alleged that several INDIA bloc leaders have historically refused to sing Vande Mataram, pointing to instances where members walked out of the Lok Sabha when the song was sung. "At that time, when we were beginning to sing Vande Mataram, many from the INDIA Alliance said they would not sing it," he said.Recounting the BJP's long-standing push for cultural nationalism, Shah said the party played a key role in reviving the tradition of singing the national song in Parliament.

"In 1992, BJP MP Ram Naik raised the issue of restarting the singing of Vande Mataram. At that time, Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani strongly urged the Speaker to restore the practice. The Lok Sabha unanimously approved it."Shah further said that Vande Mataram was once a rallying cry for freedom and would now serve as a slogan for building a developed India. "In that era, Vande Mataram became the reason for making the country free, and in Amrit Kaal, it will become the slogan for developing the country and making it great," he said.Meanwhile, these discussions are part of the special parliamentary focus on commemorating the legacy and 150 years of Vande Mataram.

The discussion on 150 years of National Song Vande Mataram in Lok Sabha on Monday saw leaders from various political parties highlighting the role played by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's composition in the freedom struggle with BJP and opposition members also taking potshots at each other.The discussion lasted almost till midnight with a large number of members expressing their views during the nearly 12-hour debate.The 150th anniversary of India's National Song, Vande Mataram, which translates to "Mother, I Bow to Thee", was observed on November 7 this year.Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, 'Vande Mataram' was first published in the literary journal Bangadarshan on November 7, 1875. Later, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee incorporated the hymn into his immortal novel 'Anandamath', published in 1882. It was set to music by Rabindranath Tagore. It has become an integral part of the nation's civilisational, political and cultural consciousness.

The 6th Session of the 18th Lok Sabha and the 269th Session of the Rajya Sabha commenced on December 1, marking the beginning of the Winter Session of Parliament. The session will conclude on December 19.