Vande Mataram

Anandmath or Vande Mataram are not the actual subjects of his vitriol, but it is actually the Hindu identity that he associates with them.

PM Modi said that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi praised Vande Mataram and referred to it as the national anthem.

Current opposition to Vande Mataram reflects long-standing communal objections that once shaped Congress decisions, revealing how religious sensitivities still determine cultural boundaries and revive ideological tensions that historically empowered separatist politics and weakened India’s civilisational cohesion.

Many of the Muslim leaders in British-ruled India, who labelled Vande Mataram as some sort of ‘anti-Muslim’ or ‘Hindu nationalist’ song, ended up being the proponents of the separatist agenda that culminated in the creation of Pakistan. These Islamists not only derided Vande Mataram as idolatrous and anti-Muslim but also argued that the deification of the motherland amounts to ‘shirk’.

Nehru referred to "Vande Mataram" as too intricate to function as a national song and aimed to replace it with another piece.

PM Modi said Congress chopped Vande Mataram song because of appeasement politics.