Division of 'Vande Mataram' song by Nehru sowed seeds of India's partition: BJP leader

Thane, Jan 9 (PTI) BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has alleged that former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru divided the 'Vande Mataram' song in two parts to appease Muslims, which sowed the seeds of India's partition.

He was speaking on Thursday night at the 40th inaugural symposium of the Late Rambhau Mhalgi Memorial Lecture Series on the theme of 'Vande Mataram and National Resurgence'.

"In 1937, Jawaharlal Nehru, under pressure to appease the Muslim vote base, wrote to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and divided the song into two parts," Poonawalla said.

The seeds of India's partition were sown in the division of the national song, he said.

Attacking the Congress, he said 'Vande Mataram' song, which was once a symbol of national unity, was used by the party for vote bank politics.

The Congress continues to divide Indians on caste lines to strengthen its vote bank, he alleged.

He expressed regret that some people refuse to sing the national song, justifying their act as being against their religion.

Talking about BJP's frequent targeting of Nehru, the BJP spokesperson said it is an effort to present the "true history" before people.

Taking a dig at Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), he said it should be called as "Sonia Sena" party, adding that UBT stood for "Urdu Bhaijan Tanzim" (Urdu brotherhood organisation). PTI COR NP