Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claimed on Monday that it was the “appeasement politics” of the Congress and actions of Muslim League founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah that played a key role in turning the national song, Vande Mataram, into a subject of controversy.
Starting a special discussion on Vande Mataram in the state Assembly to mark 150 years of the national song, the CM said these factors deepened India’s cultural divisions and contributed to the Partition, adding this resistance was driven by political interests rather than religious concerns.
Claiming it was Jinnah who purposely gave a communal colour to Vande Mararam, Adityanath said the decision to dilute the song was the first major compromise by the Congress in the name of appeasement.
These compromises emboldened the separatist forces and weakened national unity, he said.
“Vande Mataram was sung at the Congress sessions between 1896 and 1922 without any opposition and had the support of several national leaders, including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. The objections began only after Jinnah left the Congress and raised the issue in the Muslim League for political gains,” Adityanath said.
Referring to the events of 1937, the CM said Jinnah opposed the song in Lucknow during the Congress-led government. Citing a “correspondence” between Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose, the CM said it reflected attempts to accommodate minority opinion, adding that parts of the song were later removed in the name of communal harmony.
By 1937, the Congress had restricted singing of Vande Mataram to only two verses and even that was made optional, Adityanath said, describing the move as a setback to national sentiment.
An opposition was earlier voiced to the song by Mohammad Ali Jauhar during the Khilafat movement in 1923, which was politically motivated, the CM said.
“Vande Mataram’s version adopted by the Constituent Assembly in 1950 reflected the legacy of these earlier decisions,” he further said.
Highlighting the song’s historical importance, Adityanath said the song played a vital role in the freedom movement and inspired protests, satyagrahas and revolutionary actions. He referred to the remarks by Rabindranath Tagore and Aurobindo Ghosh and recalled its association with the 1905 Bengal Partition movement.
Maintaining that Vande Mataram represented India’s national spirit, Adityanath urged people to reflect on past compromises and called upon the citizens of the country to revisit Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Anand Math.
Also, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak dared SP leaders to sing Vande Mataram in the Assembly, alleging that one of their leaders used to refer to Bharat Mata as a “dayan” (witch).
The SP leaders, he added, do not have the right to talk about either Ambedkar or Lohia as they were “fake samajwadis” (fake socialists) as all they know about is “pariwar ki jai” (victory to a family).
Later, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya questioned the SP MLAs as what one of their leaders, who is in jail, used to say about Bharat Mata. He said, “Hum Bharat Mata ki jai bol rahe hain, Vande Mataram bol rahe hain.. Agar us baat ko yaad nahi dilayenge to aap sudharoge nahi. Bharat Mata ki jai bolne shuru kar dijiye. Bharat Mata ki jai bolne mein pareshani kyon hoti hai? (We are hailing Mother India and Vande Mataram. If we don’t remind, you will not mend your ways. Start saying ‘hail Mother India’. Why you have trouble saying this?”)
“From 2012 to 2017, when the SP was in power, cases were withdrawn against the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists. It was disrespect of Bharat Mata,” Maurya said.
Targeting the SP over its PDA (picchda, Dalit and alpsankhyak) slogan, Maurya said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was actual PDA as he belonged to most backward community.
“When the CM announced that Vande mataram should to be recited in madrasas, why” Samajwadi Party leaders started having issues,” he asked.
Responding to the BJP leaders’ claims, senior SP leader Shivpal Yadav said, “You say that one who would not sing Vande Mataram is an anti-national, but I will say those who fail to protect daughters, steal vote of the poor to win elections are a real danger to democracy.”
“The BJP thinks the SP leaders would be scared of their nationalism, but our nationalism is inclusive,” he said.
Congress legislator Aradhna Mishra said that their party did not need to give a proof of patriotism to anyone. “The Congress has sacrificed a lot and is always ready to sacrifice for the country. But that should not be an issue in politics,” she said.
Marshals in the well of the House as Opposition members protest during the winter session of Assembly on Monday. (ANI) 
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