Deepender Hooda Refutes BJP’s Claim on National Anthem, Says Nehru Gave “Befitting Reply” to Jinnah

By A Staff Reporter

Delhi: Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda on Thursday criticised the BJP over its remarks on the national anthem, asserting that historical records do not support the claims being made by the ruling party. Hooda said that contrary to the BJP narrative, it was Muhammad Ali Jinnah who had objected to Vande Mataram during the pre-Independence era, while Jawaharlal Nehru had strongly defended it.

“History does not bear witness to what the BJP president said about the national anthem,” Hooda told reporters. “History bears witness to the fact that Muhammad Ali Jinnah had said that ‘the Congress party has betrayed the Muslims by accepting the national anthem as Vande Mataram.’”

He said that Nehru responded firmly at the time, asserting the patriotic value of the song. “Nehru ji gave a befitting reply to Jinnah and said that there is no more patriotic song than this, and that is why Congress has given it the status of the national anthem,” Hooda added.

Taking a sharp swipe at the BJP, he said the ruling party continues to struggle with the legacy of the country’s first prime minister. “I feel that the way the British and Jinnah were afraid of Gandhi and Nehru during the British era, the BJP government is afraid now and is unable to get over Nehru,” he said.