New Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday strongly defended her party and the legacy of her great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, amid renewed political controversy over the national song, Vande Mataram, in Parliament. Speaking during a discussion on the song, Priyanka Gandhi called for a broader debate on Nehru himself, arguing that the BJP-led government was using the issue to divert attention from pressing public concerns.

Priyanka Gandhi criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for repeatedly attacking Nehru in his parliamentary speech earlier in the day, saying the government had raised the Vande Mataram debate for “two reasons”: the upcoming West Bengal elections and “yet another opportunity to abuse freedom fighters.” She accused the government of attempting to shift focus from essential issues like inflation and unemployment to ideological controversies.

Defending the history of her party and Nehru’s decisions, Priyanka Gandhi emphasized the enduring significance of Vande Mataram. She stated, “Vande Mataram has always been dear to us, been sacred to us, and will always remain sacred to us.” She noted that Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore played a pivotal role in selecting the national anthem (Jana Gana Mana) and national song, and only selected portions of longer poems were formally adopted. According to her, the Constituent Assembly had accepted these decisions, and questioning them now amounts to an insult to the heroes of the freedom struggle and the Assembly itself.

Priyanka Gandhi further challenged the current government, asking whether today’s leaders considered themselves greater than icons like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad. She emphasized that Congress has always honored the nation’s symbols, while accusing the BJP of politicizing them for electoral gains.

The debate arose after PM Modi criticized Nehru and Congress for partially adopting Vande Mataram. Modi highlighted that only the first two stanzas of the song—written in the 1870s by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee—were formally adopted, as the remaining four stanzas contained strong religious imagery and references to Hindu goddesses. Modi claimed that Nehru and the Congress had “bowed” to objections from Muslim League leader Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who argued that the complete song could irritate Muslims.

In her response, Priyanka Gandhi cited historical correspondence between Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose, explaining that certain stanzas were considered non-inclusive by some Muslim leaders and communalists, and that selecting the first two stanzas was a deliberate, inclusive decision. She urged a proper discussion on this chronology, rather than letting political narratives distort historical facts.

Priyanka Gandhi also sharply questioned Modi’s version of events, challenging his references to Tagore. She asked why he did not clarify whether Tagore had sung the song at a Congress session or at an RSS or Hindu Mahasabha event. She stressed that in every Congress session, Vande Mataram was sung collectively, reinforcing the party’s longstanding respect for the national song.

Addressing attacks from some ruling party MPs over Congress’s recent electoral performance in Bihar, Priyanka Gandhi stated, “You (BJP) are for elections, we are for the country. No matter how many elections we lose, we will sit here and keep fighting you and your ideology. You cannot stop us.”

The Congress MP accused the Prime Minister of selectively ignoring historical facts to undermine Congress’s contributions, stating, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivers good speeches, but he is weak when it comes to facts. The way Modi ji presents facts before the public is his art. But I am a representative of the people — I am not an artist.”

In conclusion, Priyanka Gandhi called for a definitive debate on Nehru, arguing that it was time to examine the criticisms leveled against him, and then move on to discussing contemporary issues affecting the country. “Since you keep talking about Nehru, let’s do one thing then. Let’s assign a time for a discussion, list out all the insults against him — debate it and let’s close the chapter once and for all,” she said. “After that, let’s talk about today’s issues, price rise and unemployment.”

By linking historical debates to current governance issues, Priyanka Gandhi framed the discussion as a critique of the government’s priorities, asserting Congress’s commitment to upholding the nation’s symbols and defending its historical legacy, while warning against politicizing freedom fighters for electoral advantage.