To malign Nehru, BJP vilifies all freedom fighters: Opposition in Rajya Sabha

The Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, in a united voice, criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the second day of the debate on the 150th year of the National Song, Vande Mataram, and said that in its pursuit of defaming the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Narendra Modi Government was maligning the entire leadership of the national movement, including Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi.

Opposition members said the leaders of the BJP were trying to distort history, as no one from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) participated in the freedom struggle. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said, “The BJP, by trying to malign Nehru, was insulting freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the country.

“Those who have spoken from the other side have proved. They wanted to be historians, but they have become ‘distortions’,” Mr. Ramesh said, citing the speech of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the subject.

Quoting from a book by the grandnephew of Subhash Chandra Bose and former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sugata Bose, Mr. Ramesh said that even Rabindranath Tagore had supported a Congress resolution on the Vande Mataram.

“Rajendra Prasad wrote to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on September 28, 1937, raising concerns and worries prevalent in large sections of our political system on Vande Mataram, requesting Patel that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) take a stand. Was it appeasement? Are you accusing Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Patel of appeasement?” Mr. Ramesh said.

“On October 28, 1937, the CWC passed a resolution about Vande Mataram. Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad, Acharya Kripalani, G.B. Pant. They were all present,” Mr. Ramesh said. “Why is the government making this Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay vs. Tagore? They wanted to insult Nehru, but they ended up insulting Tagore,” he added.

The BJP’s allegation that the Vande Mataram was trimmed as part of the Congress’s ‘appeasement politics’ suited the BJP and its predecessor organisations well, the Congress leader said.

TMC MP Ritabrata Banerjee too listed instances from history to make his point that the Vande Mataram was used against British attempts to divide Bengal on communal lines. “There is no place for divisive politics in Bengal and, therefore, the BJP was unable to make spiritual, cultural or intellectual connection with the people of the State,” Mr. Banerjee said.

Communist Party of India (CPI) MP P. Sandosh Kumar demanded a special discussion on the contributions of Gandhi, Nehru, and Ambedkar in Parliament. “It’s all the more important today because Godse is creeping into the social fabric of our lives,” he said.

Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said BJP leader L.K. Advani had visited Pakistan in 2005 and praised Mohammad Ali Jinnah. “Nationalism is important for every Indian born in the country. Now, will those who bowed their heads at Jinnah’s tomb teach us nationalism?” Mr. Hussain said.

Congress regimes of the past had failed to spread the message of the National Song, BJP MPs alleged. The Vande Mataram is “a source of inspiration” for everyone, BJP MP Ram Chander Jangra said.

It is in the Congress’s “culture” to oppose the recital of the Vande Mataram, another ruling party member, Bhagwat Karad, said. The Vande Mataram is an expression of the soul of Indians as it united the country against the British rule, Dharamshila Gupta, BJP MP from Bihar, said.