Rajnath Singh accuses Congress of sidelining Vande Mataram, defends Anand Math in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday sparked a fresh political debate in the Lok Sabha, accusing the Congress of failing to accord proper respect to the iconic national song Vande Mataram.

Participating in a discussion marking the 150th anniversary of the song, Singh said the composition — as well as author Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s novel Anand Math — had been wrongly portrayed as “anti-Islam”, despite having no such intent.

Singh asserted that both the song and the novel were historical reflections of public anger against the oppressive Bengal Nawab and British imperial rule. “Vande Mataram was never against any religion.

It was the voice of ordinary people who suffered under colonial exploitation,” he said, adding that deliberate misinterpretations over the decades had pushed the song to the margins of national discourse.

The Defence Minister criticised what he described as unequal treatment between Vande Mataram and the national anthem Jana Gana Mana, saying the latter rightfully occupies a central place in national consciousness while the former has been “ignored, distorted and sidelined”.

Singh argued that the song’s full version — including lesser-known verses — contains the true essence of India’s cultural spirit, but most people are familiar only with the first two stanzas.

Responding to criticism that Anand Math carries communal overtones, Singh said those conclusions were historically inaccurate. He explained that the novel was written during a period when Bengal was facing a devastating famine, and the British-backed Nawab was extracting excessive revenues from starving peasants. “It was a cry against injustice, not against any community,” he clarified.

Singh also took the opportunity to accuse Opposition parties of attacking constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission, instead of acknowledging challenges such as rapid urbanisation, migration and deaths that naturally affect electoral rolls.

Calling Vande Mataram a symbol of India’s freedom struggle and patriotic unity, Singh urged all political parties to restore the song’s rightful place in national heritage. He stressed that it embodies love for the nation and carries no malice towards any religion.

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