Modi vs. Moitra: The "Bankim-da" Clash That Rocked Parliament

Trinamool Congress MP [Mahua Moitra] launched a scathing attack on the government in the Lok Sabha today, exposing a bureaucratic hypocrisy at the heart of the "150 Years of Vande Mataram" celebration. During the special 10-hour debate initiated by Prime Minister [Narendra Modi], Moitra cited a Parliamentary Bulletin dated November 24, 2025, which explicitly listed "Vande Mataram" and "Jai Hind" as slogans that are "indecorous and non-serious" when used to disrupt proceedings. "Just two weeks ago you called it indecorous, and yet suddenly you want to discuss it for 10 hours?" she challenged, framing the debate as political theater rather than genuine patriotism.

The Context (How We Got Here)

The debate marks the 150th anniversary of the national song, penned by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875. The BJP government has organized this session to highlight the song's role in the freedom struggle, while simultaneously accusing the Congress of "betraying" the anthem by truncating it in 1937 to "appease" the Muslim League. However, Moitra's intervention shifted the focus from history to present-day governance contradictions. This comes amidst a broader cultural tussle between the BJP and TMC ahead of the 2026 West Bengal elections, where "owning" Bengali icons like Bankim Chandra has become a key electoral strategy.

The Key Players (Who & So What)

Mahua Moitra (TMC MP): The provocateur. By citing official parliamentary records, she undercut the government's nationalist narrative, repositioning the debate from "who loves India more" to "who is more hypocritical."
Narendra Modi (Prime Minister): The narrator. His speech focused on historical grievances against the Congress, aiming to consolidate the nationalist vote by framing the opposition as historically compromised on national symbols.
Akhilesh Yadav (SP MP): The reframer. He argued that "Vande Mataram is not just for singing, but for living," attempting to move the debate away from performative nationalism to substantive values, while navigating his party's sensitive stance on the song's religious imagery.

The BIGSTORY Reframe

While headlines focus on the "History War," the deeper story is the "Bureaucratic Absurdity." The fact that the same institution can label a national song "indecorous" in a procedural bulletin one week and "sacred" in a special session the next reveals the performative nature of modern parliamentary politics. Symbols like Vande Mataram are weaponized or sanitized depending on the immediate political utility—used as a club to beat the opposition one day, and a rule to silence them the next. Moitra’s intervention didn't just score a point; it exposed the machinery of manufactured outrage.

The Implications (Why This Changes Things)

This debate intensifies the "Culture War" for West Bengal. By highlighting the BJP's "Bankim-da" gaffe (referring to the author informally) and exposing the bulletin contradiction, the TMC is building a narrative of the BJP as "outsiders" who exploit Bengali culture without understanding or respecting it. For the national opposition, it offers a template to counter emotional nationalist narratives with cold, hard procedural facts.

The Closing Question (Now, Think About This)

If a slogan is "indecorous" when the opposition raises it, but "sacred" when the government debates it, is the sanctity in the song, or in who is singing it?

FAQs

Why did Mahua Moitra criticize the Vande Mataram debate? Mahua Moitra criticized the government for hypocrisy, pointing out that a Parliamentary Bulletin issued just two weeks prior (November 24, 2025) listed "Vande Mataram" as a slogan that is "indecorous and non-serious" when used to disrupt proceedings, yet the government scheduled a 10-hour debate to celebrate it.

What was the "Bankim-da" controversy? During the debate, TMC MP Saugata Roy objected to PM Modi referring to Bankim Chandra Chatterjee as "Bankim-da," arguing that "Babu" is the respectful Bengali term. Modi retorted wittily, but the TMC used it to frame the BJP as culturally insensitive "outsiders" in Bengal.

Why is Vande Mataram being debated now? The government is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the song's composition (1875). Politically, the BJP is using the occasion to attack the Congress for "truncating" the song in 1937 and to consolidate nationalist sentiment ahead of the 2026 West Bengal elections.

Did Congress truncate Vande Mataram? Yes. In 1937, the Indian National Congress adopted only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram as the National Song, following advice from Rabindranath Tagore, to avoid religious imagery in later stanzas that might alienate Muslims. The BJP frames this as "appeasement," while Congress frames it as "unity."

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Brajesh Mishra Associate Editor

Brajesh Mishra is an Associate Editor at BIGSTORY NETWORK, specializing in daily news from India with a keen focus on AI, technology, and the automobile sector. He brings sharp editorial judgment and a passion for delivering accurate, engaging, and timely stories to a diverse audience.