“Black Period In History”: PM Says Vande Mataram Survived Oppression & Fueled India’s Freedom Fight

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in the Lok Sabha, said that Vande Mataram has witnessed some of India’s darkest periods even as it inspired the freedom movement. He noted that when the national song turned 50, the country was under British rule, and when it completed 100 years, India was in the grip of Emergency, with patriots jailed. PM Modi said the 150-year milestone is a chance to “reinstate pride” in a song that fueled the struggle for independence, calling Vande Mataram a symbol of courage, resistance, and India’s historic fight for freedom.