Defence Minister Rajnath Singh sparked a heated moment in the Lok Sabha on Monday when he angrily confronted Opposition MPs who interrupted his address during the debate on Vande Mataram.
A video from the House shows Opposition lawmakers asking him to stop, prompting Singh to snap back, “Kaun baithanewala hai? Kaun baithayega?” and sharply saying, “Baith! Yeh himmat hogayi?” Several BJP MPs also rose in protest, questioning how the Opposition could ask a Union Minister to sit down. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla eventually intervened and signalled members to maintain order.
Singh was speaking on what he called the historical “fragmentation” of Vande Mataram, accusing the Congress of promoting “appeasement politics” dating back to Jawaharlal Nehru’s era. He argued that the national song had not received the respect it deserved and said the time had come for an unbiased re-evaluation of the full version, much of which he claimed was forgotten. He emphasised that Vande Mataram and the novel Anand Math were not “anti-Islam”, but expressions of resistance against colonial rule and the Nawab of Bengal.
Earlier in the debate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the 150-year legacy of Vande Mataram, calling it a “sacred war cry” of the freedom struggle. He criticised the Congress for dropping certain stanzas during its 1937 Faizabad session and accused the party of suppressing patriotic voices during the Emergency. “We now have the chance to restore its greatness,” he said.
Responding to the government, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the Centre of using the issue to influence upcoming Bengal elections and divert attention from real problems. She urged the Treasury benches to dedicate a separate time slot to discuss all “insults to Nehru” and move on to more pressing matters.
The debate marked another flashpoint in Parliament as both sides exchanged sharp political attacks over history, nationalism and electoral motives.
