PM Modi to Launch 150th-Year Debate on ‘Vande Mataram’ in Parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday initiate the much-anticipated debate in Parliament to mark 150 years of “Vande Mataram”, setting the stage for marathon discussions during the second week of the winter session.
The debate is part of year-long celebrations commemorating the 150th anniversary of the national song, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and set to tune by Jadunath Bhattacharya. Eight hours have been allocated for the discussions, beginning in the Lok Sabha with PM Modi’s address. In the Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the opening speaker on Tuesday.
“Many important and lesser-known facets of Vande Mataram will come to light before the nation,” a source familiar with the arrangements said.
From the Trinamool Congress, Lok Sabha MPs Mahua Moitra and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, and Rajya Sabha MPs Sukhendu S Roy and Ritabrata Banerjee, are set to speak, including some segments in Bengali to highlight the song’s regional roots.
The Congress will field Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi in the Lok Sabha, while party president Mallikarjun Kharge will be the main Opposition speaker in the Rajya Sabha.
PM Modi recently criticized the Congress for allegedly omitting key stanzas of the song in 1937, claiming it “sowed the seeds of partition.” On November 7, he launched year-long celebrations aimed at students and youth to deepen awareness of the song’s historical and cultural significance.
In addition to the debate on Vande Mataram, Parliament will also discuss election reforms, including the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi will speak on Tuesday, while the Rajya Sabha will take up the issue on Wednesday.
The scheduling follows an agreement between the government and the Opposition last week to hold these discussions in a step towards resolving disruptions in the winter session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed the plan, tweeting that the Lok Sabha will discuss the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’ from 12 noon on Monday, followed by election reforms at 12 noon on Tuesday.
Comments are closed.