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New Delhi (PTI): After both Houses held a debate on 150 years of Vande Mataram, the Congress on Thursday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and "his entire brigade" have been thoroughly "bruised and exposed for their lies".

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh noted that the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha debated Vande Mataram for this week.

The national anthem also figured in some speeches, he said in a post on X.

"It is clear that the PM and his entire brigade have NOT read the two definitive and authoritative books on the national song and the national anthem - written by two of India's finest historians, in the true sense of that term," Ramesh said and shared the screenshot of the cover pages of Rudrangshu Mukherjee's 'Song of India: A Study of the National Anthem' and Sabyasachi Bhattacharya's Vande Materam.

"It is too much to expect that they would do so even after being thoroughly bruised and exposed for their lies," the Congress leader said.

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In another post, Ramesh said, "To clear up all the misinformation that the PM and his acolytes have been spreading, this is a compilation of 12 letters and notes penned by the many founding fathers of the Indian Republic, documenting their thoughts on Vande Mataram -- Letter from Rajendra Prasad to Sardar Patel (28/9/1937); letter from Subhas Chandra Bose to Rabindranath Tagore (16/10/37); letter from Tagore to Bose (19/10/37); letter from Bose to Nehru (17/10/37); letter from Nehru to Bose (20.10.37); letter from Tagore to Nehru (26.10.37);CWC Resolution on Bande Mataram (Kolkata 28/10/37); JB Kripalani to (C. Rajagopalachari) re Gandhi note (2/1/39); Rajaji to Patel re Gandhi note 7/1/39; Pant to Nehru re Gandhi note 8/1/39; Nehru to Pant re Gandhi not 16/1/39; Gandhi note in Harijan weekly (1.7.39)."

Earlier, Ramesh had cited historian Sugata Bose's remarks that it was on Rabindranath Tagore's advice that the party decided in 1937 that only the first part of Vande Mataram would be sung at national meetings, and said these comments "further expose" Prime Minister Modi.

While the Lok Sabha held the debate on 150 years of Vande Mataram on Monday, Rajya Sabha debated on it for over two days - Tuesday, Wednesday and a part of Thursday.

The Opposition on Wednesday accused BJP leaders of distorting history, with Ramesh saying that the whole aim of the debate on 150 years of Vande Mataram was to malign first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and insult freedom fighters, including Rabindranath Tagore.

On Monday, Modi tore into the Congress, alleging that Nehru betrayed "Vande Mataram" by bowing to Muhammad Ali Jinnah's opposition to the national song that led to it being fragmented and pandering to his communal concerns, putting India on the path of appeasement politics.

The debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram saw the treasury and opposition members locked in a verbal duel on a host of issues, including nationalism, in both Houses.

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New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday slammed the government over its move to change the name of MGNREGA, asking what is the government's intention behind removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi who is the tallest leader not just in India but in the world.

A bill to repeal the MGNREGA and bring a new law for rural employment -- Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 -- is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha. According to a copy of the bill, it seeks to introduce the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, in Parliament and repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005.

Asked about the government's move, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Whenever the name of a scheme is changed there are so many changes that have to be made in offices, stationery... for which money is spent. So, what is the benefit, why it is being done?"

"Why is Mahatma Gandhi's name being removed. Mahatma Gandhi is considered the tallest leader not just in the country but in the world, so removing his name, I really don't understand what is the objective? What is their intention?" she told reporters in Parliament House complex.

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"Even when we are debating it is on other issues not the real issues of the people. Time is being wasted, money is being wasted, they are disrupting themselves," Priyanka Gandhi added.

The bill aims at establishing a "rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047", by providing a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.

The bill has been listed in the Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business issued on Monday.

Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in the statement of purpose of the Bill, said MGNREGA has provided guaranteed wage-employment to rural households over the past 20 years.

However, "further strengthening has become necessary in view of the significant socio-economic transformation witnessed in the rural landscape driven by widespread coverage of the social security interventions and saturation-oriented implementation of major government schemes", he said.

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