‘It is particularly difficult for…’: Why Nehru was not in favour of keeping Vande Mataram as India’s national anthem?

As Parliament gears up for a marathon 10-hour debate on Vande Mataram on Monday to commemorate 150 years of the iconic song, a political storm has already begun brewing. The BJP has sharpened its attack on the Congress, arguing that the upcoming discussion will once again bring Jawaharlal Nehru’s stance under scrutiny.

BJP MP Sambit Patra declared on Sunday, ‘When there will be a debate on Vande Mataram in Parliament tomorrow, I feel that the reality of Nehru ji will be revealed to everyone; he will again be exposed.’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will open the debate in the Lok Sabha, had earlier accused the Congress of ‘omitting’ stanzas of Vande Mataram in 1937, calling the move divisive. The Opposition retaliated, accusing Modi of ‘insulting’ Congress stalwarts who were present d