Mumbai, Aug 2026: The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of displaying “intellectual bankruptcy” by unnecessarily turning the national song Vande Mataram into a political issue.
In a strongly worded editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party alleged that the BJP had made little contribution to India’s freedom struggle or the major movements and slogans associated with the country’s Independence movement. It accused the BJP of attempting to appropriate the legacy of Vande Mataram for political purposes.
The editorial also targeted BJP ideologue and founder member Syama Prasad Mookerjee, referring to his role in the Bengal cabinet during the pre-Independence period. The Sena alleged that the cabinet was led by the Muslim League and accused Mookerjee of favouring strict British action against various freedom movements, including the Quit India movement.
The party argued that instead of demanding apologies from its political opponents, the BJP should apologise to the nation for what it described as historical betrayals of the freedom struggle.
The editorial comes amid growing tensions between the ruling establishment and Opposition parties over parliamentary proceedings. It alleged that the Congress-led Opposition had recently disrupted Parliament while demanding a statement and apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over an alleged pellet gun firing incident at Jantar Mantar.
According to the editorial, Shah stayed away from the proceedings and subsequently accused the Congress of “intellectual Naxalism” over its position on Vande Mataram while seeking an apology from the Opposition.
“Dragging Vande Mataram into political battles and accusing opponents of ‘intellectual Naxalism’ reflects a sheer lack of historical awareness and political desperation,” the editorial said.
‘Vande Mataram’ and Freedom Movement
The Thackeray-led Sena invoked the historical significance of Vande Mataram to challenge the BJP’s position on the song.
The editorial recalled that Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore first sang Vande Mataram at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress in Kolkata. The session was presided over by Rahamatullah M Sayani.
It further claimed that after the British colonial administration banned the song and arrested people for singing it, Congress workers and Left activists went to jail while defending the right to sing it.
The editorial also referred to the Congress Working Committee’s 1937 decision to adopt the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram. It said the decision followed advice from Tagore contained in a letter to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
According to the Sena, the committee that adopted the resolution included several prominent leaders of the freedom movement, including Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Govind Ballabh Pant and Acharya J.B. Kripalani.
The editorial further recalled that before Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his historic “Tryst with Destiny” speech on the eve of Independence, freedom fighter and Congress leader Sucheta Kripalani sang Vande Mataram during the special midnight session of the Constituent Assembly.
Attack on Modi Government and RSS
The Uddhav Sena also broadened its criticism to the Narendra Modi government and the RSS.
The editorial alleged that the government had shut down the historic Parliament building associated with several defining moments in India’s history and replaced it with a new structure, which it sarcastically compared to a “private Gujarati marriage hall”.
It also alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) did not hoist the national flag at its offices and branches for several decades after Independence.
Drawing another historical comparison, the editorial referred to the events at Pune’s Shaniwar Wada on November 17, 1817, alleging that Balajipant Natu had lowered the Maratha flag and raised the British Union Jack.
It contrasted this with August 15, 1947, when freedom fighter Krantisinh Nana Patil was said to have lowered the Union Jack and raised the Tricolour at the historic site amid slogans of Vande Mataram.
The editorial also cited former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu’s past remarks to argue that Vande Mataram should remain above political divisions.
The Sena maintained that the song belonged to the broader legacy of India’s freedom movement and accused the BJP of attempting to use the national song as a tool in contemporary political battles.
