Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday open the debate on the 150th anniversary of the Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. The Congress has fielded its Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the debate.
The Lok Sabha has listed the ‘Discussion on the 150th anniversary of national song Vande Mataram’ on 8 December, 2025, and allocated ten hours for the debate. PM Modi is likely to initiate the debate at 12 noon. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also scheduled to speak at the conclusion of the discussion.
The debate in Parliament is part of the year-long celebrations on the 150th anniversary of the national song, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and set to tune by Jadunath Bhattacharya. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the opening speaker during the debate in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, 9 December.
Political Row over Vande Mataram
The special debate in Parliament follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s accusation that the Congress removed significant verses from ‘Vande Mataram’. The PM had claimed that this removal “sowed the seeds for partition”.
“In 1937, significant verses of ‘Vande Mataram’, the very essence of its spirit, were removed. Stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ were broken up. Today’s generation needs to understand why such injustice was committed against this great mantra of nation-building. Because that same divisive mindset continues to pose a major challenge for the nation even today,” the Prime Minister said on 7 November.
However, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit back at PM Modi for his remarks, saying that it was a decision of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) that included many iconic leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, among others.
“The Prime Minister has insulted this CWC as well as Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. That he should have done so is shocking but not surprising since the RSS had played no role in our Freedom Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi,” Ramesh had posted on X on 9 November.
Eight leaders from Congress will also speak in the Lok Sabha, which includes its deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi , MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda, Bimol Akoijam, Praniti Shinde, Prashant Padole, Chamala Reddy, and Jyotsna Mahant.
The Winter session of Parliament commenced on December 1 and will continue till December 19.
History of the national song
Chatterjee composed ‘Vande Mataram’ and first published it in the literary journal Bangadarshan on 7 November, 1875. It was first used as a political slogan in August 1905 by students who protested against the British Crown, demanding freedom near the town hall in Calcutta (Kolkata). This student procession promoted the idea of ‘Swadeshi’ and boycotting British goods.
From 1905 to 1947, many who fought for freedom raised ‘Vande Mataram’ as a political slogan against the British, inspiring a sense of patriotism. In other words, the slogan became a political war cry, especially among nationalists, after the death of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee .
In 1937, significant verses of ‘Vande Mataram’, the very essence of its spirit, were removed.
Although it became a political slogan, it wasn’t until January 24, 1950, that Vande Mataram was adopted as the national anthem by the Constituent Assembly.
