Vishal Dadlani Triggers Debate On Parliament Discussing ‘Vande Mataram’
MUMBAI -Director Prahlad Kakkar has shared his views on music composer Vishal Dadlani’s sarcastic remarks regarding the discussion on ‘Vande Mataram’ in Parliament.
Earlier, Vishal had criticized the parliamentary discourse, using irony to question why symbolic nationalism often dominates legislative attention while pressing issues such as unemployment, inflation, education, and healthcare receive comparatively less focus. Without naming any individual, he highlighted what he perceived as misplaced priorities.
Kakkar said, “If you take the politics out of a politician, what’s left? They will remain ordinary people. They are politicians, and politics is their job. You have to do something for leadership. All these controversies and statements don’t matter because leaders will just keep being leaders.”
Earlier, Vishal had said, “Hello, brothers and sisters. I have good news for you. Yesterday, our Parliament debated on ‘Vande Mataram’ for 10 hours. ‘Vande Mataram’ is a very famous and well-known song written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. People love it.”
He further added, “It was debated in Parliament, and because of this debate, let me tell you, India’s unemployment problem has been solved. The Indigo problem has been solved. The air pollution problem has been solved. Imagine, a debate was held on a poem for 10 hours. These things were not even mentioned, but all these problems have been solved because of this debate. This debate costs Rs 2.5 lakh per minute of your tax money in Parliament. Ten hours means 600 minutes. Count it.”
Vishal’s comment reflected a broader liberal critique that patriotism should be measured through governance, accountability, and citizens’ welfare rather than symbolic gestures or enforced slogans. While supporters viewed his remarks as a defense of free expression and personal choice, critics accused him of disrespecting national symbols.
The episode has once again highlighted the ongoing tensions between cultural nationalism and constitutional freedoms in public discourse. (IANS)
