Debate in Parliament
The leaders of today’s ruling party and government seem to conveniently forget that the leaders of early independent India had to build a nation in the face of many difficulties. Therefore, they had to take a much broader view, and not follow the narrow parochial way that the right wing indulges in today.
The top leader needs to realise that he can sit back today and make the kind of statements that he does only because our founding fathers did the hard work of establishing the nation. It is the right wing that wants a ‘divisive’ agenda to be pursued by focusing on stanzas of Vande Mataram which have religious references.
The concerted attempts being made to distort history with wrong interpretations and false narratives must stop.
S. Kamat,
Mysuru
The speech by the Prime Minister in Parliament on Monday, levelling charges against Jawaharlal Nehru over Vande Mataram, seems less about honouring history than rewriting it.
The decision to adopt only the first two neutral stanzas was a conscious attempt to respect India’s pluralistic fabric, not a betrayal of the freedom struggle.
To call that a “tukde-tukde” of national heritage cheapens both the legacy of the song and the complexities of that era. History deserves nuance, not demagoguery.
Gopalaswamy J.,
Chennai
Save this marker of history
The century-old Dera Baba Nanak station, the last rail stop before Pakistan begins, is losing its British-era character with planned demolitions of some of the structures. Once a vital pilgrimage and trading hub, its fading glory speaks of a lost era. If a masterpiece such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, can earn heritage status, why not Dera Baba Nanak? It deserves protection not for politics, but for history, a shared heritage and reconciliation — a gesture that will honour the past and strengthen bonds. The Government of India should save the structure.
R.S. Narula,
Patiala, Punjab
Published – December 09, 2025 12:24 am IST
