(Photo: IANS)
Madurai, August 29 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre over the Vande Mataram debate, describing the controversy and legislation surrounding the national song as "unnecessary" and "politically motivated".
Addressing an event about the Monsoon session of Parliament, Chidambaram accused the Union government of elevating a non-issue while passing the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
It was among 12 Bills cleared during the session.
The Rajya Sabha MP questioned the association of the BJP and its ideological predecessors with Vande Mataram.
He said there was no evidence of the Hindu Mahasabha, Rashtriya Sawayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or Jana Sangh singing it during the freedom movement, despite documentation from that period.
Chidambaram alleged that the RSS had not hoisted the national flag at its Nagpur headquarters for decades after Independence and had instead used the saffron flag.
He questioned the BJP's recent emphasis on legally protecting Vande Mataram.
Tracing its history, the former Union Minister Chidambaram said that Vande Mataram gained popularity after Rabindranath Tagore sang it and Subramania Bharathi promoted it in southern India.
"Its (Vande Mataram's) first two stanzas praise the nation, while the remaining four invoke Hindu deities, leading to disagreements before Independence over which portion should be officially sung."
He recalled that the Congress Working Committee deliberated in the presence of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
It unanimously decided to sing only the first two stanzas after Tagore advised Nehru that they were sufficient, Chidambaram added.
He contended that few political workers could sing both recognised stanzas completely, while almost none knew the entire composition.
Singing all six stanzas of the national song would take around three minutes and, together with Tamil Thai Vazhthu and the national anthem at events, keep participants standing for nearly five minutes.
He alleged that the Amendment Bill was introduced at 1:30 p.m. and approved within five minutes, leaving little scope for consideration.
He termed the two Bills mischievous, including the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026.
The amendment seeks to extend Section 3 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, to Vande Mataram.
It proposes penalties for intentionally preventing its singing or disrupting an assembly participating in it.
Chidambaram said that the measure created a needless controversy instead of addressing a substantive national concern.
