‘Listen to Priyanka's Speech’: Rahul Gandhi’s Four-Word Reply Dominates Lok Sabha

Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday delivered a sharp four-word response that instantly captured national attention during the Lok Sabha’s special debate commemorating 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’. When pressed on the controversy surrounding the national song, Gandhi simply said, “Priyanka ka bhashan suno” (Listen to Priyanka Gandhi’s speech), effectively redirecting the House to his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s forthcoming address and avoiding a direct rebuttal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pointed accusations against the Congress party’s past.

Prime Minister Modi opened the discussion by paying rich tribute to ‘Vande Mataram’, describing it as far more than an anthem – a sacred mantra that unified India during the freedom struggle and stood firm against the British division of Bengal in 1905. He accused the Congress of “cutting the national song into pieces” in 1937 by omitting certain stanzas during a party session in Faizabad, alleging that this decision, taken supposedly to accommodate specific communities, sowed the seeds of Partition and reflected a deeper disregard for national unity.

The Congress fiercely countered the charge, asserting that the 1937 resolution was based on guidance from Rabindranath Tagore himself, who had advised sensitivity toward diverse religious sentiments within the independence movement. Party leaders demanded an immediate apology from the BJP for what they termed an insult to both Tagore and the Congress Working Committee of that era, escalating the commemorative occasion into a full-scale ideological battle over historical interpretation and ownership of patriotic symbols.

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Modi also drew a parallel between the song’s suppressed centenary during the 1975 Emergency – when democratic freedoms were curtailed – and the present moment, framing the ongoing debate as a historic opportunity to restore the unadulterated glory of ‘Vande Mataram’. Out of the total 10 hours allocated for the discussion in the Lower House, the ruling NDA has been given three hours, while opposition voices, including Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi, continue their responses.

Rahul Gandhi’s brief yet calculated deflection to Priyanka Gandhi’s speech has dominated political discourse, highlighting the deepening polarisation over India’s national heritage. As the Winter Session progresses, the episode underscores how a 150-year-old song continues to ignite fierce contemporary battles over identity, history, and patriotism in Parliament.

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