India, Nov. 8 -- In an obvious reference to Congress, which was leading the freedom struggle movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday mentioned that important stanzas of "Vande Mataram" were tampered with in the year 1937, affecting the soul of India's national song.

"In 1937, significant verses of Vande Mataram - its very soul - were separated. The song was fragmented. The division of stanzas sowed the seeds of the country's partition," Modi stated after inaugurating the year-long commemoration of Vande Mataram to mark 150 years of the national song.

The Prime Minister questioned why such injustice was done to this great national mantra and stressed that today's generation must understand this history. He warned that the same d...