New Delhi [India], December 9 : As the Rajya Sabha began discussion on 'Vande Mataram' completing 150 years, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs on Tuesday stood with photographs of Bengali icons Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in protest against the centre.
The TMC MPs held a silent protest in the Parliament premises.
This comes after senior TMC MP Sugata Roy on Monday raised an objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi referring to 'Vande Mataram' composer Bankim Chandra Chatterjee as 'Bankim Da' instead of 'Bankim Babu'.
The PM initiated a special debate in Lok Sabha on 'Vande Mataram' completing 150 years, where he criticised Rahul Gandhi for his absence from Parliament, asserting that the Congress compromised on the national song and "surrendered before the Muslim League".
The Prime Minister accused the Congress of insulting the national song and surrendering before the Muslim League, stating, "Congress still insults Vande Mataram. Congress compromised on Vande Mataram and surrendered before the Muslim League. Nehru did a 'tukde-tukde' of Vande Mataram."
Earlier, the PM had claimed that the removal of significant verses from 'Vande Mataram' "sowed the seeds for partition".
Responding to this, 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, Rabindranath Tagore, 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 November 9.
The opposition has levelled allegations regarding the 'Vande Mataram' debate being held in Parliament due to the forthcoming West Bengal elections.
Responding to this, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday dismissed allegations that the Rajya Sabha's special discussion on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram was politically timed ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections, asserting that critics "need to think afresh" about the national song's legacy and importance.
Speaking in the Upper House, Shah said some Opposition MPs had said the debate was linked to electoral politics in West Bengal. "Some people believe that because there are elections in Bengal, this discussion is being held. They want to link the glorification of Vande Mataram with the West Bengal elections. I think they need to reconsider their understanding," Shah said.
He described the song as an "immortal creation that awakens devotion and duty toward Mother India," and added that those questioning the discussion's purpose must "think afresh, with clarity".