New Delhi [India], December 9 : Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in Parliament during the 'Vande Mataram' debate was "marked by frustration and a narrow-minded approach," while his party colleague Priyanka Gandhi presented facts.
Speaking to ANI, he said that Congress took only two stanzas of the national song, keeping in mind that India is a diverse country, and urged that the national song must be viewed in the context of the constitution.
"The discussion initiated yesterday by PM Modi was marked by frustration and a very narrow-minded approach. Priyanka presented facts. This is the fundamental difference between the two speeches. We took only two stanzas of the national song. It's a national, not devotional, song, so we should view it historically and in the context of the Constitution today. India is a country of diversity," Bhagat said.
The Congress MP stated that the frustration of PM Modi comes to the fore because the BJP's parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), had no involvement in the freedom movement. He asked whether the PM was insulting Rajendra Prasad and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, who were part of the Constituent Assembly that adopted Vande Mataram as the national song in its current form.
"We took it (current status of Vande Mataram) up in the Constituent Assembly. Rajendra Prasad and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee were also a part of it. Is the Prime Minister insulting them, too? He and his party have a complex because they had no involvement in the freedom movement, and his parent organisation, which remained with the British. That's why he mentions Nehru and the Congress Party. The Prime Minister should present the facts and the truth," Bhagat said.
Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju today refuted the allegations levelled by the opposition regarding the 'Vande Mataram' debate being held in Parliament due to the forthcoming West Bengal elections, saying that it was wrong since the government doesn't decide the dates of historical events.
"Some opposition people say that the Vande Mataram discussion was held due to the Bengal election. This is wrong. Vande Mataram completed 150 years on November 7. How can we decide on that date? If it (the national song) has completed 150 years now, the discussion will also be held now. We don't set the dates for such events; we celebrate them," Rijiju said.
The discussion on 150 years of National Song Vande Mataram in Lok Sabha on Monday saw leaders from various political parties highlighting the role played by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's composition in the freedom struggle, with BJP and opposition members also taking potshots at each other.