By_shalini oraon

The Vande Mataram Debate and West Bengal: A Political Crossroads of Patriotism, Identity, and Electoral Strategy

In the fiery crucible of West Bengal’s assembly elections, few issues have the historical weight and emotive power to instantly polarize the political discourse. The national song, “Vande Mataram,” has once again been thrust into this arena, with the opposition, primarily the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its ecosystem are reluctant to wholeheartedly embrace it, thereby questioning their patriotism. This allegation is not merely a stray electoral barb; it is a calculated political strategy that ties into deeper narratives of nationalism, regional identity, and the battle for Bengal’s soul.

The Historical and Cultural Crucible of “Vande Mataram”

To understand the potency of the charge, one must first appreciate the song’s complex legacy in Bengal. Penned by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in his 1882 novel Anandamath, “Vande Mataram” became a galvanizing mantra for Indian freedom fighters against British colonial rule. Its opening stanzas, a lyrical ode to the motherland as a nurturing goddess, were easily adoptable as a nationalistic hymn. However, the later verses, which explicitly venerate the motherland as the Hindu goddess Durga, have long been a point of theological contention for some sections of the Muslim community.

This ambiguity led to a political compromise post-Independence. While the first two stanzas were given the status of the “National Song” (equal in honor to the “National Anthem”), the Constitution’s framers and subsequent governments advised against its compulsory rendition to respect the sentiments of all communities. In Bengal, a state with a significant Muslim population (approximately 27%), and a long history of syncretic Bangla culture, this issue has always required nuanced handling.

The Anatomy of the Allegation

The opposition’s current allegation operates on multiple levels:

1. The Symbolic Level: The BJP frames “Vande Mataram” as the ultimate litmus test for nationalism. By alleging that the TMC and its leaders are ambiguous or insufficiently enthusiastic about the song, they paint the ruling party as “anti-national” or at best, “semi-nationalist.” This is part of a larger, nationwide narrative where the BJP positions itself as the sole custodian of “true” Indian patriotism.
2. The Communal Level: The debate is inextricably linked to the state’s demography. The BJP’s allegation is often directed at the TMC’s reliance on a substantial Muslim vote bank. The implication is that the TMC’s purported softness on “Vande Mataram” is a deliberate ploy to appease its Muslim constituents, who might be uncomfortable with the song’s Hindu imagery. This allows the BJP to simultaneously appeal to Hindu consolidation by portraying itself as the protector of national symbols.
3. The Counter-Narrative of “Bengali Pride”: The TMC, under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has retaliated not by rejecting the song, but by reframing the debate. The party’s response alleges that the BJP, a party with its roots in North and West India, is an outsider imposing a rigid, monolithic definition of nationalism on Bengal. The TMC champions a “Bengali first” identity—one that proudly includes “Vande Mataram” as part of its own rich, anti-colonial heritage (Bankim Chandra was, after all, a Bengali), but resists having its patriotism dictated by an external force. Mamata Banerjee often points to her government’s official celebrations of Poila Boisakh (Bengali New Year) and events for figures like Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as proof of her commitment to a broader, culturally-rooted Bengali patriotism.

Electoral Calculus and Real-World Flashpoints

The allegation is not abstract; it is rooted in specific incidents that become electoral fodder:

· School and Event Mandates: Controversies erupt when directives from Governor’s office (often seen as aligned with the Centre) or pro-BJP groups insist on mandatory singing of “Vande Mataram” in state-run schools or at public events. The TMC government’s resistance is framed by the BJP as refusal, while the TMC calls it an objection to compulsion and an overreach into state education policy.
· Selective Amplification: Isolated incidents where a TMC local leader may have expressed a personal opinion against the song, or where at a public event the song was not played, are amplified massively by the BJP’s formidable media machinery to build a statewide narrative of “disrespect.”
· The “Us vs. Them” Binary: In the heat of an election, subtlety is lost. The complex debate is reduced to a binary choice: Are you with “Vande Mataram” (and by extension, the BJP’s India), or are you against it (and with the TMC’s alleged appeasement politics)? This polarizes the electorate along predictable lines.

Why This Resonates in Bengal’s Political Theatre

The “Vande Mataram” debate finds fertile ground in Bengal due to three unique factors:

1. The Battle for Legacy: Both parties are fiercely contesting the legacy of the Bengali renaissance and the freedom struggle. The BJP seeks to appropriate Bankim Chandra and “Vande Mataram” as symbols of a Hindu nationalist awakening. The TMC and the left-liberal intellectual class see this as a distortion, arguing that the song’s original anti-colonial context is being replaced with a majoritarian one.
2. The Shadow of Partition: Bengal’s trauma of the 1947 Partition lingers in its collective memory. Debates over identity, religion, and nationalism are inevitably viewed through this prism. The “Vande Mataram” issue taps into these old, unhealed wounds about who truly belongs and what defines the region’s identity.
3. A Counter to Development Discourse: When the TMC highlights its welfare schemes (Lakshmir Bhandar, etc.), the BJP uses the nationalism card to shift the conversation to a more visceral, emotional plane. It offers a clear, symbolic issue as an alternative to a debate on governance metrics.

Conclusion: More Than a Song, a Battle of Narratives

The opposition’s allegation linking the “Vande Mataram” debate to the Bengal polls is, therefore, a masterclass in political framing. It is a deliberate strategy to:

· Nationalize a State Election: Shift the focus from local issues of development, corruption, and welfare to a central, emotional theme of nationalism.
· Consolidate the Hindu Vote: Create a unifying symbol for a potentially fractious Hindu electorate across castes.
· Otherize the Rival: Position the TMC as a party that is inherently suspicious of a core national symbol, and thus, not fully Indian in its ethos.

For the TMC, the challenge is to navigate this charge without being seen as disrespectful of a cherished national symbol, while firmly defending its turf and its version of a pluralistic, culturally confident Bengali identity. The debate over “Vande Mataram” in Bengal is thus a microcosm of a larger Indian conflict—a struggle over history, the meaning of patriotism, and the power to define the nation’s soul. In the high-stakes game of Bengal’s elections, a 19th-century song has become a 21st-century political weapon, its melody drowned out by the cacophony of campaigning, its meaning contested in the quest for power.