Overview
- Opening the discussion, the Prime Minister alleged Congress “fragmented” the song in 1937 and said that move “sowed the seeds of Partition,” citing Jawaharlal Nehru’s letter to Subhas Chandra Bose.
- He portrayed the composition as a unifying force of the freedom struggle, recalling British bans on its printing and singing and linking its 100th year to the Emergency.
- Parliament has set aside 10 hours in each House for the discussion, and the ruling alliance has been allotted three of those hours in the Lok Sabha.
- The Upper House will take up the debate next, with Union home minister Amit Shah slated to lead for the government.
- The Congress counters that adopting only the first two stanzas followed Rabindranath Tagore’s advice for inclusivity, with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Gaurav Gogoi designated to respond.