Priyanka Gandhi Says Vande Mataram Debate Linked to Upcoming Bengal Assembly Elections

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday sharply criticised the Narendra Modi Government in the Lok Sabha, accusing it of raking up a controversy over Vande Mataram only to polarise voters ahead of the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections. Speaking during a discussion marking the 150th anniversary of the national song, Ms Gandhi questioned the timing of the sudden focus on the anthem that was penned by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s and later became a rallying cry of India’s freedom movement.

“Why is the government so eager to debate Vande Mataram today if not because Bengal polls are approaching?” she asked, drawing loud protests from the Treasury benches. The Congress leader argued that the ruling BJP had remained silent on the song for years but was now using its emotional appeal as an electoral tool in a state where it has been trying to expand its footprint against the Trinamool Congress.

Vande Mataram was adopted alongside Jana Gana Mana as India’s national song soon after independence, with the first two anthems accorded equal respect in official protocol. While the full song contains verses some groups find controversial, only the first two stanzas are officially sung at state functions. Successive governments, including those led by the Congress, have navigated the issue carefully to avoid communal tensions.

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The exchange in Parliament came on a day when both houses paid tributes to the iconic composition. However, Priyanka Gandhi’s direct linking of the commemoration to electoral strategy in West Bengal turned the solemn occasion into yet another flashpoint between the ruling BJP and the Opposition, underlining the continuing politicisation of cultural symbols as several states head to the polls in the coming months.

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