‘If Vande Mataram Wasn’t Truncated For Appeasement, India Wouldn’t Have Been Divided’: Amit Shah

‘If Vande Mataram Wasn’t Truncated For Appeasement, India Wouldn’t Have Been Divided’: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that the “politics of appeasement" began the day Vande Mataram was divided, arguing that if the national song had not been split in the name of appeasement, “the country itself would not have been divided."

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Shah claimed this moment marked the ideological departure that eventually contributed to India's partition.

Shah said several Congress members had questioned the need to discuss Vande Mataram today, but insisted the issue remains central to India's national identity. “From that point began the politics of appeasement, and that is what later became the reason for division—this is what they argue," he said, stressing that national symbols must not be weakened for political convenience.

#WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, “… Congress MPs are questioning the need for having discussions on Vande Mataram and calling it a political strategy and a way of diverting from the issues. Nobody is scared of discussions on issues. We are not the ones boycotting… pic.twitter.com/iMYau9Gkes— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2025

Reiterating that the government was open to debate on all issues, Shah added, “We are not the ones who boycott Parliament—if the House is allowed to function, every issue can be discussed."

He accused the Congress of historically distancing itself from Vande Mataram, saying the party's discomfort was rooted in decisions taken decades ago, including Jawaharlal Nehru's move to split the song. “When the golden jubilee of Vande Mataram was due, Jawaharlal Nehru limited the national song to two stanzas," Shah said.

He also addressed criticism that the discussion was politically motivated. In a pointed rebuttal, Shah said, “Some members raised questions… on the need for discussions on Vande Mataram. The need for discussion and dedication towards Vande Mataram was important back then; it is needed now, and it will always be significant for the bright future we have envisioned for 2047." He rejected suggestions that the debate was linked to upcoming elections in Bengal, calling it an attempt to “demean the glorification of our national song." Shah added, “Bankim Babu was from Bengal, but Vande Mataram was never confined to Bengal or to any region of the country."

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#WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, “… Congress MPs are questioning the need for having discussions on Vande Mataram and calling it a political strategy and a way of diverting from the issues. Nobody is scared of discussions on issues. We are not the ones boycotting… pic.twitter.com/iMYau9Gkes— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2025

Invoking sentiment associated with the national song, Shah said, “When a soldier at the border, or a policeman guarding the country from inside, sacrifices his life for the country, Vande Mataram is the only slogan he raises." Concluding his remarks, he said discussions on Vande Mataram were not about revisiting the past but about reaffirming national pride and rejecting politics that, in his words, “fractures the country's unity."

Source: News18
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