The Congress on Tuesday invoked historian Sugata Bose’s remarks to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s accusations against Jawaharlal Nehru over “Vande Mataram”, saying the historian’s comments “further expose” the PM’s claims.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh shared on X a video clip of Bose — a Harvard Professor and grandson of Sarat Chandra Bose — in which he narrates how Rabindranath Tagore advised the Congress in 1937 to sing only the first part of “Vande Mataram” at national events.
Tagore’s Advice Led to Congress Decision in 1937
In the clip, Sugata Bose describes the close working relationship between Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru at the 1937 AICC meeting in Calcutta.
According to Bose:
“Both of them consulted Rabindranath Tagore on the very sensitive subject of the song Vande Mataram. It was on Rabindranath’s advice that the Congress decided that from now on only the first part of the song — which beautifully evokes India’s splendour — would be sung at national meetings.”
He said Tagore made this suggestion to avoid communal tensions and ensure unity in the nationalist movement.
Bose further stated that 1937 marked an important coming together of different ideological strands within the Congress, and that Mahatma Gandhi later decided that Subhas Chandra Bose would succeed Nehru as Congress president in 1938.
“This Conversation Further Exposes the PM”: Ramesh
Sharing the clip, Ramesh wrote:
“Sugata Bose… one of India’s finest historians… This conversation further exposes the PM.”
Ramesh also emphasised Bose’s credentials as Director of the Netaji Research Bureau, a former Lok Sabha MP, and author of major works on Subhas Chandra Bose.
Modi vs Congress on ‘Vande Mataram’
Ramesh’s remarks came a day after Prime Minister Modi accused Nehru of betraying ‘Vande Mataram’, alleging that he bowed to Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s opposition, resulting in the song being fragmented and setting India on the path of “appeasement politics”.
The Lok Sabha held a day-long special debate to mark 150 years of “Vande Mataram”, during which tempers flared between treasury and opposition benches.
Priyanka Gandhi’s Sharply Worded Response
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra delivered the party’s reply, accusing Modi of:
- selectively quoting Nehru,
- committing a “big sin” by creating a controversy around “Vande Mataram”, and
- rewriting history for electoral gain, especially with West Bengal elections due next year.
She urged the government to “understand the real chronology” behind the song’s use and insisted that Congress had acted with the intention of protecting national unity.
The BJP, meanwhile, doubled down on its criticism, accusing the Congress of appeasement politics, while opposition parties charged the government with politicising history for electoral benefit.
