Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while initiating the Vande Mataram discussion in Lok Sabha, recalled how the national song became a clarion call for unity when the British started to divide and rule.

The PM, while hailing the national song to mark its 150 years, said the Britishers started to divide and rule from Bengal as they knew if they could break Bengal, they could break the country. He added that at the time of partition of Bengal, the national song became a challenge for Britishers and became a clarion call for unity.

"The British understood that it was difficult for them to control India after 1857. They knew that their plans to divide India and make people fight each other would be hard to execute, so they opted for divide and rule, making Bengal their experimental centre. Those

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