India, Nov. 7 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi weighed in on the controversy over Congress allegedly 'shortening' Vande Mataram, saying that the important stanzas of the national song were dropped in 1937, which later sowed seeds of partition.

PM Modi was speaking after inaugurating the year-long commemoration of "Vande Mataram" to mark 150 years of the national song.

"Vande Mataram became the voice of India's freedom struggle, it expressed the feelings of every Indian. Unfortunately, in 1937, important stanzas of Vande Mataram...a part of its soul, were severed. The division of Vande Mataram also sowed the seeds of partition. Today's generation needs to know why this injustice was done with this 'maha mantra' of nation building," PM Mod...