BJP ‘distorting’ history, Vande Mataram debate meant to malign Nehru: Cong

New Delhi: The Opposition on Wednesday accused BJP leaders of distorting history, with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh saying that the whole aim of the debate on 150 years of Vande Mataram was to malign first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Participating in the debate in the Rajya Sabha, Ramesh accused the BJP of 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’,” Ramesh said.

He gave details of letters exchanged between leaders including Subhas Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, Rajendra Prasad, and Jawaharlal Nehru over 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, and requesting Patel that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) take a stand. Was it appeasement? Are you accusing Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Patel of appeasement?” Ramesh said.

“On October 28, 1937 CWC passed a resolution about Vande Mataram... Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad, Acharya Kripalani, GB Pant... They were all present,” Ramesh said.

He added that on October 30, 1927, Tagore issued a press statement that he had advised the CWC that they pass a resolution to adopt the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram as ‘national anthem’, and it was later adopted as the national song.

He said a communal environment was created in 1937.

“Many organisations were responsible... One of them is celebrating its centenary now. They spread communal fire, and today they tell us Congress did appeasement,”

he said.