On December 8, 2025, the Lok Sabha witnessed a 10-hour debate on India’s national song, Vande Mataram, marking 150 years since its composition by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the discussion, followed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The opposition Congress fielded Gaurav Gogoi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to participate.

The Rajya Sabha will hold a parallel debate on December 9, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah expected to address the house.

Why Now: 150 Years of Vande Mataram

The debate coincides with the 150th anniversary of the iconic national song, first published in Bangadarshan in 1875 and later included in Chattopadhyay’s novel Anandamath (1882). Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore popularized it by singing it at the 1896 Congress Ses

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