Mumbai, August 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of “intellectual bankruptcy” and of unnecessarily politicising the national song Vande Mataram.
In an editorial published in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction questioned the BJP’s claims regarding its historical association with the freedom movement and the national song. It alleged that the BJP had no role in several milestones of India’s independence struggle or in popularising slogans such as Vande Mataram and Inquilab Zindabad.
The editorial also targeted BJP founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee over his political role in Bengal during British rule and accused him of supporting strict action against the Quit India Movement. It argued that instead of seeking apologies from political opponents, the BJP should reflect on its own historical record.
The criticism comes amid a wider political dispute over Vande Mataram and disruptions in Parliament. The Shiv Sena-UBT editorial alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had avoided addressing Opposition concerns in Parliament before criticising the Congress for its position on the national song.
Calling the BJP’s description of the Congress’s stand as “intellectual Naxalism” politically motivated, the editorial said attempts to turn Vande Mataram into a partisan issue reflected a lack of historical understanding.
The party highlighted the song’s role in the freedom movement, recalling that Rabindranath Tagore first sang Vande Mataram at the 1896 Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. It also referred to the Congress Working Committee’s 1937 decision to adopt the first two stanzas of the song.
The editorial further recalled that Sucheta Kripalani rendered Vande Mataram during the special midnight session of Parliament before Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his Tryst with Destiny speech.
The Shiv Sena-UBT also criticised the Modi government over its handling of national institutions and accused the RSS of not hoisting the Tricolour at its offices for several decades after Independence.
Drawing on historical references from the Maratha and freedom movements, the editorial argued that Vande Mataram should remain above partisan politics and retain its place as a symbol of India’s freedom struggle.
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