Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday rebutted strongly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s jibe at Jawaharlal Nehru over Vande Mataram, accusing the Prime Minister and the BJP of distorting history and misunderstanding Bengal’s cultural legacy.
Speaking during the Lok Sabha discussion on 150 years of the national song, Gogoi rejected Modi’s claim that Nehru had viewed Vande Mataram as something that would “irritate Muslims”, arguing instead that the Congress’s approach had been rooted in inclusive nationalism. “We accepted Vande Mataram as the national song and Jana Gana Mana as the national anthem, both reflecting the spirit of the Constitution,” he said, before questioning the ideological role played by the BJP’s predecessors in the freedom struggle. “When did your political ancestors’ rebel against the British?”
Gogoi went on to accuse the BJP of reducing Bengal to a “lens of polarisation”, arguing that the ruling party had consistently misrepresented the state’s history, icons and intellectual traditions. “For them everything is ‘Bangladeshi’. They don’t understand who Bankim Chandra really was,” he said, adding that Bengal’s cultural figures, from Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay to Rabindranath Tagore, embodied a resistance to colonial rule that the BJP “has failed to respect”.
The senior Congress leader also questioned the ideological lineage of the BJP, contrasting it with the Congress’s role in the freedom movement. “The BJP speaks of nationalism today, but where were their political ancestors when millions fought the British?” he asked. “Congress leaders made sacrifices, went to jail, gave their lives. The ruling party cannot rewrite history.”
Responding directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier remarks on the Congress’s 1937 decision relating to the national song, Gogoi sharpened his attack on the RSS. “I want to ask when your political ancestors fulfilled the intention of Vande Mataram? When did you rebel against the British?” he said. He also accused the BJP of failing to understand Bengal’s cultural icons, including Rabindranath Tagore, and raised concerns about Bengalis in Assam facing the “D-voter” designation.
The remarks came during a special discussion in both Houses of Parliament marking 150 years of Vande Mataram. Opening the debate earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the song as a historic source of inspiration. “Vande Mataram is the force that drives us to achieve the dreams our freedom fighters envisioned. Vande Mataram energised our freedom movement,” he said. Taking aim at former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Modi added, “Nehru thought Vande Mataram will irritate Muslims. Jinnah opposed Vande Mataram, Nehru agreed with Jinnah’s sentiments.”
