Describing the national song Vande Mataram as a symbol of patriotism, sacrifice and national consciousness, Home Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha on Monday said that those who are questioning the propriety and necessity of discussing it at this time, should reconsider their thinking.
Shah, while participating in the discussion in the Upper House on the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram, expressed hope that through this discussion, the children, youth and the coming generations of the country will be able to understand what contribution Vande Mataram has made in achieving independence for the country.
He said that some people had raised this question in the Lok Sabha as to why Vande Mataram should be discussed today. Shah said that the need for dedication towards Vande Mataram was there when it was created, in the freedom movement, is there even today and will be there even when a great India is created in 2047.
Shah said that this immortal work is “a work that awakens the feelings of dedication, devotion and duty towards Mother India.”
The Home Minister said that those who do not understand why this is being discussed today, they need to reconsider their understanding. He said that some people are linking this discussion with the elections going to be held in West Bengal. He said that such people are trying to reduce the glorification of the national song by linking it to the Bengal elections.
In the discussion on this topic in the Lok Sabha on Monday, MPs from many opposition parties including Congress had raised questions on the need to discuss this issue at this time.
Shah said that it is true that Bankimchandra Chatterjee had composed this composition in Bengal, but this composition had spread not only in the entire country but also among the people fighting for freedom across the world. He said that even today if a person makes the supreme sacrifice for the country at the border, the same slogan is raised. He said that even today when a policeman sacrifices his life for the country, he utters only one thing while giving up his life, ‘Vande Mataram’.
Shah said that Vande Mataram has become a symbol of patriotism, sacrifice and national consciousness in the freedom movement. He pointed out that the background in which “Bankim Babu” wrote this song was the efforts of the Islamic invaders to destroy the culture of India and the efforts of the British rulers to impose a new culture.
