Vande Mataram: 'Millions of people chanted Vande Mataram, that's why we are here', key points from PM Modi's address

A discussion was held in Parliament to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. Prime Minister Modi initiated the discussion in the Lok Sabha with his address. During his speech, PM Modi touched upon the period from independence to the Emergency and strongly criticised the Congress party for neglecting Vande Mataram. The Prime Minister stated that the country gained independence because of Vande Mataram.

During the discussion, the Prime Minister said, "It is a great privilege for all of us in this House to commemorate Vande Mataram, the mantra, the slogan that energised and inspired the country's freedom movement, and showed the path of sacrifice and penance. It is a matter of pride for us that Vande Mataram is completing 150 years, and we are all witnesses to this historic occasion." Read 10 key points from PM Modi's address...

The 150-year journey of Vande Mataram has passed through many stages, but when Vande Mataram completed 50 years, the country was forced to live in slavery. When Vande Mataram completed 100 years, the country was shackled by the chains of the Emergency, and when there should have been a grand celebration of Vande Mataram, the Indian Constitution was stifled.

When Vande Mataram completed 100 years, people who lived and died for patriotism were imprisoned behind bars. The 100th anniversary of the Vande Mataram song, which gave the country the energy for freedom, unfortunately, coincided with a dark period in our history. The 150th anniversary is an opportunity to re-establish that great chapter and that glory. I believe that neither the country nor this House should let this opportunity pass. It is Vande Mataram that brought independence to the country in 1947.

Today, as I stand here to begin the discussion on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, there is no ruling party or opposition here. Because for all of us sitting here, this is an opportunity to acknowledge that debt, the debt that millions of people fulfilled by carrying forward the freedom movement with the mantra of Vande Mataram, and it is because of them that we are all sitting here today. Therefore, this is an opportunity for all of us Members of Parliament to acknowledge this debt to Vande Mataram.

Vande Mataram was not merely a slogan for a political struggle. It wasn't simply about the British leaving and us standing on our own feet; Vande Mataram was not limited to that. The freedom struggle was a battle to liberate this motherland. It was a sacred war to free Mother India from those shackles. When Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay composed Vande Mataram, it naturally became a symbol of the freedom movement. From east to west, north to south, Vande Mataram became the resolve of every Indian.

When the British partitioned Bengal in 1905, Vande Mataram stood firm like a rock. This slogan became the voice of every street. The British had embarked on a path to weaken India through the partition of Bengal, but Vande Mataram became a challenge for the British and a rock of strength for the country. Vande Mataram became the slogan of every street for the unity of Bengal, and this slogan inspired Bengal.

The British had understood that after 1857, it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to remain in India for long. They clearly saw that unless India was divided and its people pitted against each other, ruling here would be difficult. That's when the British chose the path of 'divide and rule,' and they made Bengal their laboratory.

Hundreds of women led and made significant contributions to our country's freedom movement. The highest fines for singing Vande Mataram were imposed in Barisal. Barisal is no longer a part of India today, but at that time, the brave women of Barisal staged a large and prolonged protest against the ban on Vande Mataram. One of these brave women from Barisal, Mrs Sarojini Bose, took a vow at that time that she would not wear her bangles until the ban on Vande Mataram was lifted. Even the children of our country were not far behind; they were subjected to flogging. In those days, processions were constantly being held in Bengal, and they were a constant source of trouble for the British.

When the British banned newspapers, Madam Bhikaji Cama started a newspaper in Paris and named it Vande Mataram. In 1907, when V.O. Chidambaram Pillai built a ship for his Swadeshi company, it also bore the name ‘Vande Mataram’. The national poet Subramania Bharati translated Vande Mataram into Tamil. His deep reverence for Vande Mataram is clearly evident in many of his Tamil patriotic songs.