New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Monday accused the BJP of using "Vande Mataram" song as an electoral wedge ahead of the 2026 Bengal polls, claiming that the ruling party was "butchering the soul" of the song "far more than any 1937 resolution ever did." Participating in a Lok Sabha discussion marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, Moitra claimed the timing of the debate was politically motivated, alleging that "some half-wit BJP IT cell minion has probably advised you that the Vande Mataram card, if played right, will give an advantage to the BJP in the 2026 Bengal elections." She said the TMC welcomed the conversation because it would "only prove how removed you are from the soul of Bengal, and how our Ma will never be hostage to your narrow electoral goals." Calling the BJP's commitment to the song "a badly scripted comedy," she mocked party MPs for, according to her, being unable to correctly sing Vande Mataram.
Moitra questioned the ruling party's claim to the legacy of the freedom struggle, asking, "Who in the BJP can claim even a tenuous link to the freedom movement that today you feel you are the guardians of Vande Mataram?" Moitra accused the BJP government of deepening religious divides while pretending to uphold the spirit of the song.
"This government, which claims to promote Vande Mataram, has ensured even the moon has been partitioned. Hindu women can break their Karva Chauth fast on their rooftops, but a Muslim in a BJP-ruled state is forbidden from offering Eid ka namaz to the same moon - and you are blaming a song for India's divisiveness." The Krishnanagar MP said she was speaking "as a true Bengali" and on behalf of "dashkoti Bengalis whom you call Bangladeshis and Rohingyas, whom you harass on the streets and throw out when pregnant across the border." She then dissected the stanzas of Vande Mataram, contrasting its imagery with current realities.
On "Sujalam suphalam", Moitra said India's water crisis has worsened under the BJP: "Over 70% of India's surface water is undrinkable. India ranks 120 out of 122 countries in the water quality index, and yet the government cuts Jal Jeevan Mission funds. Bengal alone is owed Rs 3,000 crore." On "Malayaja-shitalam", she cited Delhi's severe pollution: "The AQI in the national capital stays between 800 and 1,000. Fossil fuel-driven pollution claims 1.72 million Indian lives annually, but 78 per cent of thermal power plants have been exempted from installing anti-pollution systems." On "Shasya-shyamalam", she said the government has "allowed 37 per cent of India's land to slip into degradation" while reducing the agriculture ministry's budget.
Turning to "Suhasinim", which evokes sweetness and compassion, Moitra accused BJP leaders of routinely delivering hate speeches. She also claimed the government's "hurried, arbitrary" directives have created such pressure on poll officers that "BLOs are committing suicide." Moitra claimed that the government was selectively invoking Vande Mataram while ignoring Rabindranath Tagore's inclusive vision in Jana Gana Mana. She said the Prime Minister had "ignited this entire discussion to divert attention from the government's failings." Issuing a direct challenge, Moitra said, "If you have the courage, come and fight the 2026 Bengal election ...Ten crore Bengalis will rise to teach you the real meaning of Vande Mataram."
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
