Mumbai, Dec 13 (IANS) Director Prahlad Kakkar has shared his opinion on music composer Vishal Dadlani’s sarcastic remark on the discussion about ‘Vande Mataram’ in the Parliament.
Earlier, Vishal had criticised the discourse in the Parliament. Without naming individuals, he used irony to question why symbolic nationalism often dominates legislative attention while pressing issues like unemployment, inflation, education, and healthcare receive comparatively less focus.
Responding to the same, Prahlad Kakkar told IANS, “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 folk song written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. People love it”.
He further mentioned, “It was debated in the 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 things have been solved because of this debate. This debate costs Rs. 2.5 lakh per minute of your tax money in the parliament. 10 hours means 600 minutes. Count it”.
His comment reflected a broader liberal critique that patriotism should be measured through governance, accountability, and citizens’ welfare rather than enforced slogans. Supporters viewed his remark as a defense of free expression and personal choice, while critics accused him of disrespecting national symbols. The episode highlighted ongoing tensions between cultural nationalism and constitutional freedoms in public discourse.
--IANS
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