New Delhi/IBNS, Nov. 7 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday traded charges against the Congress alleging the grand old party tore apart the original Vande Mataram by removing important stanzas while adopting it during the party's 1931 Faridabad session.

The Prime Minister levelled the allegations at an event marking the 150th year of the country's National Song.

The Prime Minister further said, "Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore once said that Bankimchandra's 'Anandamath' is not just a novel; it is a dream of an independent India. In 'Anandamath', the context of 'Vande Mataram', every line of it, every word and every sentiment of Bankim Babu, all had their deep implications, and they still do today.

"This song was composed in the era of...