Rajnath Singh Confronts Opposition MPs During Heated 'Vande Mataram' Debate in Lok Sabha

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lost his composure during a fiery speech on 'Vande Mataram' in the Lok Sabha when Opposition MPs interrupted him.

A video captures the moment where Opposition lawmakers asked him to stop, prompting an angry response from Singh: "Kaun baithanewala hai? Kaun baithayega?" (Who is going to make me sit?). He further demanded, "Kya baat kar rahe ho...baith! Yeh himmat hogayi?" (What are you even saying? Sit down! How dare you?). Many BJP members could be heard shouting at the Opposition MPs, questioning how they dared ask the minister to sit down.

Singh subsequently requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to intervene, who gestured to Opposition members to maintain calm.

#Watch | "Kaun Baithayega?" : Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Loses Cool At Opposition MPs During 'Vande Mataram' Debate In Lok Sabha

In his address, Singh criticized Congress for the "fragmentation" of the national song 'Vande Mataram', attributing it to "appeasement politics" dating back to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's era.

"Restoring the glory of Vande Mataram is the need of the hour and also a demand of morality. Justice that should have been done to 'Vande Mataram' did not happen, and unequal treatment was given to the national anthem and the national song," he stated.

He emphasized that the "injustice to Vande Mataram was not an isolated incident, but a beginning to the appeasement politics by Congress", adding that it represented an injustice not just to a song but to the citizens of independent India.

The Defence Minister asserted that the time had come for an unbiased evaluation of Vande Mataram, maintaining that the entire song and the book, Anand Math, were never "anti-Islam," but rather reflected popular sentiments against the Nawab of Bengal and British imperialism. "Now is the time for an unbiased evaluation of Vande Mataram and its history. Everyone has heard the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, but many are not familiar with the rest. Most parts of the original version have been forgotten, and those stanzas depict the essence of India," he explained.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the debate on 'Vande Mataram' in the Lok Sabha, highlighting the contribution of the song, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and first published in the literary journal Bangadarshan on November 7, 1875, to India's freedom struggle.

"Vande Mataram is not just a mantra for political freedom; it was a sacred war cry to rid Bharatmata of vestiges of colonialism. It is a matter of pride for us that we are witnessing the historic occasion of 'Vande Mataram' completing 150 years. The British divided Bengal in 1905, but 'Vande Mataram' stood like a rock and inspired unity," Modi said.

Criticizing Congress, the Prime Minister remarked, "When 'Vande Mataram' completed 100 years, the nation was chained by the Emergency. At that time, the Constitution was throttled, and those who lived and died for patriotism were pushed behind prison bars. The Emergency was a dark chapter in our history. Now we have the opportunity to restore the greatness of 'Vande Mataram'. And I believe this opportunity should not be allowed to pass."

The parliamentary debate occurred a month after a political controversy erupted when PM Modi accused Congress of removing significant stanzas of 'Vande Mataram' during the party's 1937 session in Faizabad. Congress countered this claim, stating the decision was based on Rabindranath Tagore's advice and represented an accommodation of sentiments from members of various communities and faiths.

In response to the debate, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the government of raising this issue in view of the upcoming Bengal assembly elections while avoiding substantive matters. She also charged PM Modi with "selectively" quoting Jawaharlal Nehru, suggesting that BJP should enumerate perceived insults to Nehru, allocate time to debate them, and then close the matter.

"Let us use the precious time of this Parliament for the job people have elected us for," she concluded.