Adhir Ranjan writes to PM Modi about Subramanian Swamy's 'narrow' national anthem appeal

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's letter concerning the 'replacement' of some words in the national anthem by the one composed and sung by Late Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and termed the MP's concern as 'narrow'.

"I may like to draw your attention to a letter written by Subramanyam Swamy member Rajya Sabha. The said letter concerns the replacement of a few words in our national anthem Jana Gana Mana by a few words composed and sung by the Late Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and his INA forces," Chowdhury wrote in his letter to PM Modi, according to ANI.

'The letter both in spirit & understanding is narrow': Adhir Ranjan

"Swamy demands this change on the ground that Rabindranath Tagore's Jana Gana Mana, which was adopted by Indian Constituent Assembly on 24 January 1950 as India's national anthem, neither reflects post-independence Indian reality as it contains 'Sind' (which now lies in Pakistan) not it is clear for whom this was written as Tagore had composed this in 1911," he added.

"The letter both in spirit and understanding is narrow, divisive and violates the deep national sentiment that exists on the subject matter," Chowdhury stated. "It also betrays the ethos of Indian nationalism that lies behind the composition of the national anthem. Gurudev's 'Idea of India' reflects pluralism, humanism, universal brotherhood and respect for religious and cultural diversities," he added.

"Swamy's understanding of Jana Gana Mana is too limited and narrow as he takes the mere territorial understanding of present India and hence he considers 'Sindh' as a misfit in post-1947 India. But India is not merely a territorial land, it is an ocean of cultures and ideas with an infinite capacity to knit together infinite pluralism in perfect harmony," Chowdhury wrote.

Dr Swamy writes to PM Modi

Earlier this month, in a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Swamy said words in Tagore’s national anthem, such as "Sindh", raise "unnecessary doubts" and was "inappropriate for post-1947 independent India". Calling it a "demand of an overwhelming majority of the youths of India", Swamy hoped that the government would carry out the necessary changes by 26 January 2021.

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The MP also referred to the concluding remarks by former president Rajendra Prasad on 26 November 1949, in which he had said that words in the national anthem may be amended or replaced in future.

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