Historical role of Vande Mataram highlighted in Shiv Sena editorial

The article reminded readers of the song’s origin at the 1896 Calcutta session chaired by Rahmatullah M. Sayani, when Rabindranath Tagore first sang it. It recounted how the British banned the composition, prompting Congress leaders and leftist activists to face imprisonment for singing it. Later, a consensus among freedom fighters such as Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Maulana Azad, Govind Vallabh Pant and Acharya Kripalani led to the adoption of the first two verses as a rallying cry.