Overview
- Parliament devoted roughly 10 hours to a special discussion marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized Jawaharlal Nehru’s handling of the song and BJP members urged restoring the omitted stanzas.
- No legal decision or formal change was made to the song’s status or text, which remains the national song without the anthem’s prescribed protocols.
- Historians and reports reiterated the 1937 Congress Working Committee resolution to sing only the first two stanzas at public events and cited Nehru’s 1948 note calling the tune plaintive and less suited for orchestral or ceremonial use.
- Political analysis linked the debate to a broader BJP cultural push that includes Savarkar commemorations and calls to counter “Macaulayism,” with several commentators reading electoral intent, particularly in West Bengal.
- Public reaction ranged from music composer Vishal Dadlani’s satirical criticism of the debate’s priorities and cost to Prahlad Kakkar’s defense of political theater, while editorials argued the focus diverted attention from material governance issues.