The 150-year celebrations are about commemoration and historical reflection. However, the Lok Sabha discussion marking 150 years of Vande Mataram instead underscored the present day sharp political divides.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the attack, accusing former PM Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress of diluting the national song under pressure from the Muslim League in the pre-Independence decades. The Opposition, particularly the Congress, countered that the government was selectively invoking history to divert attention from current economic and governance concerns.

Opening the discussion, Modi argued that Nehru had “weakened national sentiment” around Vande Mataram by questioning its suitability after Muhammad Ali Jinnah publicly opposed the slogan in 1937. He referred

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