Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said:
"Today, as we celebrate the glorious journey of Vande Mataram for a century and a half, we must accept the truth that Vande Mataram did not receive the justice it deserved. Today, in independent India, there was talk of giving equal status to the national anthem and the national song. But one became an integral part of our national consciousness.
"It found a place in the mainstream of society and culture. It became included in our national symbols. That song was our Jana Gana Mana. But the other song was marginalised and neglected. That song is Vande Mataram.
It was treated like an extra. On the very soil where Vande Mataram was composed, in 1937, the Congress decided to mutilate the song. All generations should know about the political deceit and injustice done to Vande Mataram. That is why this discussion is taking place, because this injustice was not just done to a song, but to the people of independent India," said Rajnath.
"Vande Mataram is complete in itself, but attempts were made to make it incomplete. It is the demand of the time to return Vande Mataram to its glory. Vande Mataram was marginalised post-Independence. Vande Mataram did not get the justice it deserved," said Rajnath.
"In 1906, India’s first flag was designed, and Vande Mataram was written at the centre of that flag, which was hoisted in Bengal for the first time.
In August 1906, a newspaper titled Vande Mataram was also launched to raise public awareness. This was the time when Vande Mataram was not just a word, it was a feeling, a source of motivation, and a poem," said Rajnath.
"Vande Mataram is the mantra of Swaraj. We vow to give it the respect it deserves. Those who do not understand our culture - how will they understand Vande Mataram?" said Rajnath.
"While people rightly remembered the national anthem, Vande Mataram was only projected as some modern song," the Defence Minister said.
He said that the National Song did not get the right place in India's history like the National anthem Jana-Mana-Gana.
"Vande Mataram is connected with both history and the present. Vande Mataram has awakened the nation. It is not just associated with the elections in Bengal. Vande Mataram has made the British Empire bow down," said Rajnath.
'Had Congress not divided Vande Mataram, India wouldn't have been partitioned': Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha
"When Vande Mataram was limited after it completed 50 years, that is when appeasement started. That appeasement led to the partition of the country.
Had the Congress not divided Vande Mataram for appeasement, the country would not have been divided into two... When Vande Mataram completed 100 years, an Emergency was imposed. There was no scope for the glorification of the national song.
Indira Gandhi imprisoned those who propagated and raised the slogan of Vande Mataram,” he said.
“When discussions were held in the Lok Sabha yesterday, both members of the Gandhi family were absent from the House. Right from Jawaharlal Nehru to the current leadership, Congress continues to oppose Vande Mataram," he said.
The Home Minister said former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru reduced Vande Mataram to two stanzas on its golden jubilee. On Opposition MPs' remark that the BJP was diverting from real issues by discussing Vande Mataram in Parliament, Shah said the government was ready to have discussion on any issue but the Opposition should first stop boycotting the discussions.
“They also need to know that avoiding discussions on Vande Mataram is not new... India was not independent when Vande Mataram completed 50 years. When the golden jubilee of Vande Mataram was due, Jawaharlal Nehru limited the national song to two stanzas," Shah said.
"Congress MPs are questioning the need for having discussions on Vande Mataram and calling it a political strategy and a way of diverting from the issues. Nobody is scared of discussions on issues.
We are not the ones boycotting the Parliament. If they want to discuss, they need to stop boycotting, and all discussions will take place. We are not scared of or trying to hide anything. We are ready for debate on any issue,” he added.
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