Gaurav Gogoi fires back at PM Modi in LS on Congress legacy on Vande Mataram annivers
Gaurav Gogoi fires back at PM Modi in LS on Congress legacy on Vande Mataram anniversary
M.U.H
08/12/202512
In a fiery rebuttal during the Lok Sabha debate commemorating the 150th anniversary of the patriotic song Vande Mataram on Monday, Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s accusations against the Congress party.
Gogoi accused the prime minister of trying to “rewrite history” and politicize a unifying national symbol for narrow political gains.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi opened the debate with a pointed critique, alleging that Congress betrayed Vande Mataram in 1937, setting off a chain of events that contributed to the Partition of India.
Responding to these charges, Gogoi defended the Congress party’s legacy and the pivotal role played by leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in preserving the true spirit of Vande Mataram. “You cannot malign Nehru, you don’t understand Bengal, and you don’t understand the nation,” he asserted, directly challenging Modi’s narrative of betrayal.
Gogoi highlighted Congress’s historical role in popularizing Vande Mataram, referencing landmark sessions in 1896 and 1905 when the song became a rallying cry for India’s freedom struggle. He turned the spotlight on the BJP’s own history, questioning, “Where were your political ancestors during the 1942 Quit India Movement?”—pointing to the absence of BJP’s ideological predecessors in the mass civil disobedience movement.
The Congress leader also criticized the Modi government’s present-day governance and security record. Citing recent incidents, including the “bomb explosion in Delhi”, the rupee’s depreciation, worsening air pollution, and border tensions, Gogoi said, “This government is afraid of questions, afraid of debates, and it wants these organizations to be captured.”
Gogoi accused the ruling party of undermining democratic institutions such as the judiciary and the Election Commission, while warning of increasing monopolies and voter insecurity.
Concluding on a powerful note, he invoked the spirit of Rabindranath Tagore’s famous poem Where the Mind is Without Fear, reciting lines that called for a nation free from fear and division. He framed the Opposition’s stand as a defense of India’s foundational ideals against what he termed “modern-day divide and rule tactics” employed by the government.
Monday’s Lok Sabha debate illuminated the deep political and historical tensions surrounding Vande Mataram, reflecting broader conflicts over India’s past and present. Gogoi’s speech served as a firm counter to PM Modi’s assertions, reaffirming Congress’s commitment to preserving the inclusive legacy of the national anthem and the country’s freedom struggle.
