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Madurai, August 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday criticized the BJP-led Central government over the ongoing debate surrounding Vande Mataramcalling the controversy and legislation to the national song “unnecessary” and “politically motivated”.

Speaking at an event on the Monsoon session of Parliament, Chidambaram questioned the government's decision to focus on the issue while passing the Prevention of Insults to National Honor (Amendment) Bill, 2026one of 12 Bills cleared during the session.

The Rajya Sabha MP also questioned the BJP and its ideological predecessors' historical association with Vande Mataram. He said there was no evidence from the freedom movement period of the Hindu Mahasabha, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or Jana Sangh singing the song, despite records from that period.

Chidambaram also alleged that the RSS did not hoist the national flag at its Nagpur headquarters for several decades after Independence and instead used the saffron flag.

Tracing the history of Vande Mataram, he said the song gained wider popularity after Rabindranath Tagore sang it and Subramania Bharathi promoted it in southern India.

“Its (Vande Mataram's) first two stanzas praise the nation, while the remaining four invoke Hindu deities, leading to disagreements before Independence over which portion should be officially sung,” Chidambaram said.

He recalled that the Congress Working Committee discussed the issue in the presence of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. According to Chidambaram, the committee unanimously decided that only the first two stanzas should be sung after Tagore advised Nehru that they were sufficient.

Chidambaram said even many political workers could not sing both recognized stanzas in full, while very few knew the entire composition.

He also questioned the practical implications of singing all six stanzas at public events, saying it would take around three minutes and, when combined with Tamil Thai Vazhthu and the national anthem, could require participants to remain standing for nearly five minutes.

Chidambaram alleged that the amendment bill was introduced at around 1:30 pm and cleared within five minutes, leaving little opportunity for detailed consideration.

He described the amendment, along with the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026as in “mischievous”.

The national honor amendment seeks to extend Section 3 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act, 1971to Vande Mataram. It proposes penalties for intentionally preventing the singing of the national song or disrupting an assembly participating in its singing.

Chidambaram said the measure had created an unnecessary controversy instead of addressing a substantive national concern.