Defence Minister Rajnath Singh became visibly enraged during the Lok Sabha debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram on Monday after he was interrupted by opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) who reportedly asked him to stop speaking and sit down.
Heated Exchange in Parliament
The interruptions led to a heated verbal confrontation, with Rajnath Singh sharply rebuking the opposition MPs:
“Kaun baithanewala hai? Kaun baithayega? (Who is going to make me sit? Who will make me sit?)” he challenged angrily.
“Kya baat kar rahe ho…baith! Yeh himmat hogayi? (What are you even saying? Sit down! How dare you?)”
Following the outburst, several BJP leaders joined the Defence Minister in shouting at the opposition. Rajnath Singh eventually turned to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to intervene and restore order, with Birla gesturing to the interrupting MPs to remain calm.
Rajnath Singh Slams Congress for “Appeasement Politics”
Before the interruption, Rajnath Singh used his speech to fiercely criticize the Congress party, accusing it of a “fragmentation” of the national song driven by “appeasement politics” that originated during the time of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Key points from his address:
- Unequal Treatment: He argued that “justice that should have been done to Vande Mataram did not happen,” claiming the national song was marginalized and given “unequal treatment” compared to the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.
- Targeted Injustice: He claimed that the “injustice to Vande Mataram was not an isolated incident, but a beginning to the appeasement politics by Congress.”
- Call for Evaluation: He called for an “unbiased evaluation” of the song, asserting that the entire composition and the book Anand Math were never “anti-Islam.” Instead, he claimed they reflected popular sentiments against the Nawab of Bengal and British imperialism.
Singh emphasized that the time had come to restore the song’s glory, urging that the full version of the song, which depicts the essence of India, should be remembered.