Chandigarh, August 21: Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal has targeted the central government regarding the Vande Mataram and ‘One Day, One University’ initiatives. He stated that the BJP is attempting to create controversy after 90 years to divert attention from its failures. Bansal accused the government of distracting the public while passing bills amid chaos in Parliament and trying to impose its ideology in universities.
Bansal remarked, “For 90 years, these two verses have been sung, and during the tenure of every BJP Chief Minister and Governor, from Atal Bihari Vajpayee to others, this has been sung in the same manner. Now, after 90 years, the BJP is trying to create a controversy. They want to divert attention from their failures. To attract public attention, they passed this new bill (Prevention of Insult to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026) amidst the uproar in Parliament.”
He further explained, “You need to see what this is about. Why do we mention these two verses, and what are the other verses? This was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay around 150 years ago in his book ‘Anandamath’. The song was publicly sung at the Indian National Congress session in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on December 28, 1896. Sometimes, only two verses were sung, and at other times, six.”
Bansal emphasized that as the freedom struggle intensified, the Congress Working Committee decided in 1936 that the first two verses represent the country’s glory and are sufficient. He noted that these verses do not reference any religion. “The other four verses may be seen as religious, which is not acceptable in our secular nation. The government should not interfere with any religion,” he added.
He criticized the government for creating a negative atmosphere without reason and undermining patriotism. “The government can do whatever it wants in its programs, but we, as Congress, will continue to sing the two verses we have been singing for 90 years, from 1936 to 2026, to ensure that no one feels we are imposing our religion on others.”
Regarding ‘One Day, One University’, Bansal claimed it is an attempt to place RSS and BJP supporters in educational institutions. He stressed the need to keep educational centers free from party ideologies. “If you want to engage with youth, you have your own organizations. The BJP has its ABVP, and Congress has its National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). Attract people there, not in universities where diverse ideologies exist,” he stated.
Bansal concluded by condemning the misuse of university infrastructure for political purposes, referencing recent events at Punjab University and the situation at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, where the government had to backtrack to cover up its failures.
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