Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav used the Vande Mataram debate in the Lok Sabha to mock the BJP, saying “those who didn’t participate in the freedom movement” are now trying to lecture others on the national song’s importance and “own” its legacy. He argued that Vande Mataram is meant to unite, not divide, accused the ruling party of using it for “fake nationalism” and polarisation, and reminded the House that revolutionaries kept the song alive even when the British banned it.