In an apparent attack at the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said important stanzas of the national song 'Vande Mataram' were dropped in 1937, which sowed the seeds of partition, and asserted that such a "divisive mindset" is still a challenge for the country.
Modi made the comments while inaugurating the year-long commemoration of ‘Vande Mataram’ to mark 150 years of the national song. He also released a commemorative stamp and coin on the occasion at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
"Vande Mataram became voice of India's freedom struggle, it expressed feelings of every Indian. Unfortunately, in 1937, important stanzas of Vande Mataram… its soul was removed. The division of Vande Mataram also sowed the seeds of partition. Today's generation needs to know why this injustice was done with this 'maha mantra' of nation building… this divisive mindset is still a challenge for the country," he said.
Noting that Vande Mataram is relevant in every era, the prime minister, in an apparent reference to Operation Sindoor, said, "When the enemy dared to attack our security and honour using terrorism, the world saw that India knows how to take the form of Durga."
The prime minister said as the country marks 150 years of Vande Mataram, it gives new inspiration and fills people of the country with new energy. "Vande Mataram is a word, a mantra, an energy, a dream, a resolve. It is the devotion to Mother India, the worship of Mother India. It connects us to our history and gives our future new courage. There is no resolve that cannot be achieved, no goal that we Indians cannot accomplish. We have to build a nation which is at the top on basis of knowledge, science and technology," he said.
The programme marks the formal launch of the year-long nationwide commemoration — from November 7, 2025 to November 7, 2026 — celebrating 150 years of the timeless composition that inspired India's freedom movement and continues to evoke national pride and unity.
The song was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterji on the occasion of Akshaya Navami, which fell on November 7 in 1875. The song first appeared in the literary journal "Bangadarshan", as part of Chatterji's novel, "Anandamath".