During a debate in the Lok Sabha marking the 150th anniversary of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ (written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi gave a succinct four-word reply: “Priyanka ka bhashan suno” (Listen to Priyanka Gandhi’s speech); the debate was kicked off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who used the occasion to attack the Congress, accusing the party of having “dissected the national song into pieces” during its 1937 Faizabad session and alleging that this decision “sowed the seeds of Partition.”
| Speaker/Party | Stance/Allegation | Rationale/Counter-Argument |
| PM Narendra Modi (BJP/NDA) | Accused the Congress of dropping important stanzas of the song in 1937. Said the decision “dissected the national song” and sowed the seeds of Partition. | Stressed the song’s role as a “sacred war cry” that inspired unity against the 1905 Bengal Partition and criticized the 1975 Emergency period. |
| Rahul Gandhi (Congress) | Gave the four-word reply: “Priyanka ka bhashan suno.” | Referred to his sister’s expected reply, which will likely cover the Congress’s historical stance. |
| Congress Party | Demanded an apology from the BJP, accusing them of “insulting” the 1937 CWC decision and Rabindranath Tagore. | Claimed the 1937 decision to shorten the song was based on the advice of Rabindranath Tagore and aimed at accommodating the feelings of members from other communities and faiths. |
| Rajya Sabha Secretariat | Reiterated a previous directive asking MPs to refrain from using expressions like ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Jai Hind’ inside Parliament to maintain decorum. | The Opposition accused the ruling NDA of being uncomfortable with symbols of Independence and unity. |
