India, Dec. 8 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi listed the history and anti-colonial pitch of Vande Mataram in a special discussion in Parliament on Monday, marking the 150th anniversary year of the national song. "Remembering the sacred Vande Mataram today is a great privilege for all of us in this House," PM Modi said, speaking in the Lok Sabha.

This comes as a debate was ignited after the PM and the ruling BJP accused the Congress of removing certain lines from the song in 1937, which, Modi said, "sowed the seeds of Partition".

Here are some key points he made in the Lower House of Parliament:

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hindustan Times....