Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks in Parliament on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi paid tribute to Bengal’s historical role in India’s freedom movement and national awakening, adding that Congress has consistently stood behind Vande Mataram and worked to ensure it received its rightful place as the national song.
Participating in the Lok Sabha discussion, Gogoi said he wished to bow to the “sacred soil of Bengal” that gave India towering figures such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghosh, Khudiram Bose, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Rabindranath Tagore and Subhash Chandra Bose.
He said Bengal possessed a unique spiritual and intellectual strength, noting that the land not only gave India its national song but also shaped the nation’s moral and cultural conscience.
‘Poetry and Songs Gave Strength to Freedom Fighters’
Gogoi highlighted how poets and writers of that era created powerful works that inspired millions of freedom fighters to endure British oppression. He cited slogans and songs such as Vande Mataram, Tagore’s Where the Mind is Without Fear, Jhanda Uncha Rahe Hamara, Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna, Inquilab Zindabad, Jai Hind, Satyamev Jayate and Bharat Chhodo as sources of courage and resistance.
Congress Gave ‘Vande Mataram’ Its Rightful Place
He pointed out that Vande Mataram was written in the context of Anandamath, at a time when the East India Company’s heavy taxation had made life extremely difficult, and said the song eventually became a rallying cry or slogan for the freedom movement.
Congress has consistently stood behind Vande Mataram and worked to ensure it received its rightful place as the national song.
Gogoi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi frequently invokes the name of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress in parliamentary debates. He pointed out that during Operation Sindoor, Nehru’s name was taken 14 times and Congress was mentioned 50 times.
He added that on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution, Nehru’s name was referenced 10 times and Congress was mentioned 26 times, while the President’s Address in 2022 saw 15 references to Nehru, and in 2020, 20 references.
With “utmost humility”, Gogoi said he wished to tell Narendra Modi and his entire system that no matter how hard they tried, they would not be able to cast “even a single black mark” on the contributions of Pandit Nehru.
What Did PM Modi Say?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi linked the milestone with other national commemorations, including 75 years of the Constitution, the 150th birth anniversaries of Sardar Patel and Birsa Munda, and the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. PM Modi recalled that at the song’s 50-year mark India was under British rule, and at 100 years the country was under the Emergency, calling the present moment an opportunity to reclaim national pride.
#WATCH | “Ye hamari swatantrata ka mantra tha, balidaan ka mantra tha, ye oorja ka mantra tha, ye saatwikta ka mantra tha, ye samarpan ka mantra tha, ye tyaag aur tapasya ka mantra tha, sankaton ko sehne ka samarthya dene ka mantra tha, aur wo mantra Vande Mataram tha,” says PM… pic.twitter.com/oLstasaiL8
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2025
Criticising the opposition for not participating, he urged unity across regions and parties, saying “there is no leadership and opposition” on such an occasion. He said the song should inspire the nation to achieve the goals of becoming self-reliant and developed by 2047.
The debate has been allotted 10 hours across both Houses, with three hours for the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha.
