"RSS, BJP don't have the right to speak on Vande Mataram": Manickam Tagore

New Delhi [India], December 8 (ANI): Ahead of a special discussion in Parliament on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Monday said that the RSS and the BJP "do not have the right" to speak on Vande Mataram, alleging that the organisations had no role in India's struggle for independence.
Speaking to ANI, Tagore said, "RSS was not part of any kind of fight against the British, but their part... This is why they never sang Vande Mataram till we got freedom. The followers of RSS must first say what they have to speak on the freedom struggle... Now the PM will try to speak on all kinds of fake narratives..."
He further said Vande Mataram emerged from the collective efforts of India's national leaders and therefore, "the RSS and BJP don't have the right to speak on Vande Mataram other than dividing the nation."
"Vande Mataram was a song that was included as a part of the struggle in a meeting of Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose," he said. Further saying, "Thus the RSS and BJP don't have the right to speak on Vande Mataram other than dividing the nation..."
The special discussion in Parliament will highlight significant and lesser-known historical aspects of the national song. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to participate, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah will open the deliberations in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The BJP-led NDA government has been allotted three hours in the Lok Sabha debate, and a total of ten hours has been scheduled across both Houses.
As part of the Opposition's participation, eight Congress leaders will speak in the Lok Sabha, including Deputy LoP Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda, Bimol Akoijam, Praniti Shinde, Prashant Padole, Chamala Reddy and Jyotsna Mahant.
The 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, which means "Mother, I Bow to Thee", was observed on November 7 this year. Originally composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the song was first published in the journal Bangadarshan in 1875 and later featured in his novel Anandamath (1882). It was set to tune by Rabindranath Tagore and has since become an enduring symbol of India's cultural and national identity.
The Winter Session of Parliament, comprising the 6th Session of the 18th Lok Sabha and the 269th Session of the Rajya Sabha, began on December 1 and will conclude on December 19. (ANI)