TMC’s Saugata Roy Counters PM Modi’s Remarks on Vande Mataram in Parliament

By A Staff Reporter

TMC MP Saugata Roy on Tuesday sharply contested Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on Vande Mataram during the Winter Session of Parliament, accusing the Prime Minister of presenting “incorrect facts” and pushing a politically motivated narrative. Roy’s comments came amid an ongoing debate on the 150-year legacy of the iconic patriotic hymn.

Addressing reporters, Roy objected to the way the Prime Minister referred to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the composer of Vande Mataram. “PM Modi did not present the facts properly. And the worst part was that he was calling Bankim Chandra ‘Bankim da’,” Roy said. He explained that in Bengal, “dada” is reserved for contemporaries, while respected historical figures are addressed with “Babu” or honorific titles. “He should have said Rishi Bankim or Bankim Babu. But then he realised his mistake and corrected himself later,” Roy added.

The senior TMC leader also challenged the Prime Minister’s claim that the Congress had truncated Vande Mataram. Roy described the allegation as “a contradictory narrative,” asserting that no political motive was involved in the decision to sing only selected stanzas. “The decision to leave out a few stanzas was taken only after Congress leaders sought the advice of Rabindranath Tagore, who was a great admirer of Bankim,” he noted.