New Delhi, Dec. 10 -- Vande Mataram, composed in West Bengal by Bankimchandra Chatterjee, was not limited to the eastern state but transcended boundaries and borders, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday, adding the national song remains relevant today as it was then and will continue to inspire generations. Initiating a special debate on the 150 years of Vande Mataram in the Rajya Sabha, Shah attacked the opposition Congress, saying that when Vande Mataram turned 50, it was reduced to two stanzas, which paved the way for appeasement politics and subsequently the country's partition. "Many people like me believe that if Congress had not divided Vande Mataram under its policy of appeasement, the country would not have been divided, and today the country would be whole," he said. Shah alleged that he had observed some opposition lawmakers showing disrespect by opting to walk out of the House to avoid participating in the national song discussion, eliciting a sharp response from the opposition that demanded authentication of his claim. The minister said he would furnish the names, which should be made part of the House records. Shah lashed out at the opposition, particularly the Congress, for insinuating that the discussion was a means of deflecting attention from issues and initiated with an eye on the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal. He said when Vande Mataram completed 50 years, Jawaharlal Nehru split it into two parts and when it turned 100, Emergency was imposed by the then Indira Gandhi-led Congress government. "There was no scope for the glorification of the national song. Indira Gandhi imprisoned those who raised the slogan of Vande Mataram... When discussions were held in the Lok Sabha yesterday (Monday), both members of the Gandhi family were absent from the House. Right from Jawaharlal Nehru to the current leadership, Congress continues to oppose Vande Mataram," he added. Without naming Congress lawmaker Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who spoke during the discussion in the Lok Sabha a day ago, the home minister said: "Some members raised questions in the Lok Sabha on the need for these discussions on Vande Mataram. The need for discussion on Vande Mataram, the need for dedication towards Vande Mataram, was important then; it is needed now, and it will always be significant even in 2047." Distancing the discussion from electoral politics - both the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress have alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to use the national song to get a toehold in West Bengal - Shah said: "They think the discussions are being held because of the upcoming elections in Bengal. They want to demean the glorification of our national song by limiting the discussion to the Bengal election. It is true that the composer of Vande Mataram, Bankim Babu, was from Bengal, and the Anand Math had its origin in Bengal, but Vande Mataram was not limited to Bengal or the country." During the freedom struggle, he said, it found its way into secret meetings of revolutionaries who were abroad and today when soldiers or police personnel make the ultimate sacrifice, they go with Vande Mataram on their lips. Recalling the sentiment that was prevalent when it was composed, Shah said the writer captured India's ancient civilisation, cultural nationalism and the tradition of envisioning the nation as the mother in the song. "...The idea of worshipping the nation as a mother, which has long been part of our heritage, was fully expressed in his writing," he said. Earlier, Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan said Vande Mataram was composed at a time when "our motherland" was under the heavy yoke of colonial rule. "This timeless composition soon became the collective heartbeat of millions yearning to breathe free...For countless freedom fighters, Vande Mataram was not merely a song, it was the final chant from their hearts as they walked fearlessly towards the gallows, their souls illuminated with the dream of an independent Bharat where every citizen could live with dignity and pride. Their sacrifices still resonate in every soaring note of this sacred song, reminding us that freedom was earned not by chance but by unshakeable resolve and boundless love for the nation," he added....