Jairam Ramesh Says Vande Mataram Debate Aimed at “Maligning Nehru,” Accuses BJP of Distorting History

By A Staff Reporter

The Opposition on Wednesday hit out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for what it described as a deliberate attempt to twist historical narratives during a Rajya Sabha discussion marking 150 years of Vande Mataram. Leading the charge, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the ruling party was using the debate as an opportunity to malign India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Speaking during the session, Ramesh accused BJP members of selectively presenting historical facts to suit their political narratives. He argued that the tone and content of several speeches delivered by the Treasury benches were designed less to honour the legacy of Vande Mataram and more to target leaders associated with India’s freedom movement. “The whole aim of this debate is to malign Nehru,” he declared, asserting that the contributions of the first prime minister were being intentionally downplayed.

Ramesh further accused the BJP of disrespecting freedom fighters by using the occasion to propagate partisan arguments. “Those who have spoken from the other side have proved… they wanted to be historians, but they have become ‘distorions’,” he said, coining a sharp play on words to suggest that history was being twisted rather than interpreted.