New Delhi, December 8, 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open a special 10-hour discussion in the Lok Sabha today (December 8, 2025) on the 150th anniversary of India’s national song “Vande Mataram”. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will initiate the debate in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
The historic discussion marks 150 years since “Vande Mataram” was first written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875 and later published in his iconic novel Anandamath in 1882. Rabindranath Tagore gave it musical form, turning it into a battle cry during India’s freedom struggle. On January 24, 1950, the Government of India officially accorded it the status of National Song.
PM Modi is scheduled to begin the Lok Sabha debate at 12 noon. Eight members, including Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, will participate. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will deliver the concluding remarks.
Ahead of the debate, Prime Minister Modi recently accused certain forces of “dismembering” Vande Mataram in 1937, claiming the decision sowed seeds of division. “Why was injustice done to this great mantra of nation-building? The present generation must know,” he said.
Responding to past controversies, All India Imam Organisation president Maulana Sajid Rashidi clarified that Muslims have no objection to singing the first two lines of Vande Mataram, which praise the beauty and prosperity of the motherland. He maintained that reservations exist only with later verses due to references perceived as conflicting with monotheistic beliefs.
The debate comes weeks after the government celebrated the 150th anniversary of the song on November 7, 2025. Apart from the national song, the Rajya Sabha will also discuss the ongoing Intensive Electoral Roll Revision (SVEEP) in several states on Tuesday.
