The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has reiterated the party’s 1937 stance on Vande Mataram, deciding that only the first two stanzas of the National Song will be sung at Congress programmes. The decision comes amid a renewed political dispute over the song’s rendition and the Centre’s recently introduced protocol for its use at official functions.
Sources said the matter was discussed during Wednesday’s CWC meeting, where several leaders reaffirmed the position adopted by the party in 1937.
Speaking to reporters after the more than four-hour meeting, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said there was no ambiguity in the party’s position. He referred to the 1937 resolution, which was adopted in the presence of senior Congress leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel. Venugopal said the party would continue to follow the decision taken at the time. When asked if Congress events would feature only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, he replied in the affirmative.
The decision comes amid an escalating political dispute over the National Song, including complaints against Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi following an alleged incident during its rendition at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi on Independence Day.
Complaints were filed against Sonia Gandhi in Delhi and Karnataka over an alleged incident during the August 15 rendition. A complaint lodged with the Delhi Police sought an FIR and an investigation into her alleged conduct. Separately, BJP leaders approached Urwa Police Station in Karnataka, accusing her of disrespecting the National Song.
Venugopal said Vande Mataram and the National Anthem were emotional matters for Congress, while accusing the BJP of turning the issue into a political controversy. He described the criticism of Sonia Gandhi’s alleged objection to the complete version of the National Song as an attempt to divert attention from issues such as paper leaks and “chanda chori”.
The controversy began after videos from the Independence Day event showed senior Congress leaders talking among themselves while Vande Mataram was being performed. BJP leaders alleged that Sonia Gandhi signalled for the rendition to be stopped, although the song was eventually completed.
WHY CONGRESS SINGS ONLY TWO STANZAS
Congress has said its decision is based on a CWC resolution passed in October 1937, under which only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram were to be sung at national gatherings.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the resolution was adopted at a CWC meeting on October 28, 1937, in the presence of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Maulana Azad, following a suggestion from Rabindranath Tagore.
Ramesh said the issue was discussed again at Wednesday’s CWC meeting and that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also read out a portion of the earlier resolution. He maintained that the party’s position had remained unchanged and accused the BJP of deliberately turning a historical issue into a current controversy.
He also pointed to the party’s earlier position that Jana Gana Mana would be the National Anthem and Vande Mataram the National Song.
The 1937 decision followed discussions about the complete version of Vande Mataram and whether it was appropriate for national gatherings involving people from different religious and cultural communities.
Written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and later included in his novel Anandamath, Vande Mataram begins with two stanzas praising the motherland, while the subsequent verses feature religious and mythological references.
According to the historical account cited by Congress, Rabindranath Tagore was consulted on the matter in 1937. In a letter to Jawaharlal Nehru that October, Tagore reportedly said the first two stanzas could be treated independently because of their broader national character, while the later verses contained imagery that could make them less suitable for inclusive national gatherings.
The CWC subsequently recommended that only the first two stanzas be performed at public and national events. The 1937 resolution also permitted organisers to use other national songs along with or instead of Vande Mataram.
Nehru later defended the decision, saying the latter portions of the complete poem contained religious and contextual references that could not be equally embraced by everyone at a national gathering.
BJP ATTACKS CONGRESS OVER Vande Mataram ROW
The issue has triggered strong criticism from BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari.
Speaking at a rally in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh, Shah alleged that Sonia Gandhi had asked the Congress president to stop the rendition of Vande Mataram at the party headquarters.
Tiwari also accused the Congress leadership of being uncomfortable with the National Song and criticised Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi over the incident.
KHARGE DEFENDS TWO-STANZA VERSION
The CWC’s decision to reaffirm its position also came after BJP leaders criticised Mallikarjun Kharge for singing what they described as an “incomplete” version of Vande Mataram at a public meeting in South Goa on Monday.
Kharge defended the version, saying it was the same form of the song that had been used by several national leaders over the years.
He said he had sung the version associated with Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as leaders such as Vallabhbhai Patel and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Kharge challenged critics to take legal action against those leaders if singing that version was considered an offence.
He also accused the BJP of lacking knowledge about the historical decisions taken by Congress concerning the National Song and the National Anthem.
Kharge said the Congress had taken those decisions decades before the BJP leaders involved in the controversy were born and maintained that he had simply followed the practice that had existed for around eight decades.
CENTRE INTRODUCES NEW Vande Mataram PROTOCOL
The Congress-BJP dispute has unfolded alongside the Centre’s decision to standardise the rendition of Vande Mataram at official government functions.
The Union Home Ministry has issued new guidelines requiring Vande Mataram to be sung or played at specified government events. Under the new protocol, a six-stanza version of the National Song, with a duration of 3 minutes and 10 seconds, will be performed at designated official functions. The National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, takes around 52 seconds.
Vande Mataram will be performed during civilian honours ceremonies, including the Padma Awards, as well as at functions attended by the President, both during arrival and departure.
The guidelines specify that when Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana are both performed, the National Song will be played first. Standing during Vande Mataram will be compulsory at official events, though this requirement will not apply to places such as cinema halls.
Schools have also been instructed to start the day with the National Anthem. Officials said the new protocol is intended to bring consistency to ceremonial practices across government institutions, with detailed instructions on the approved version and its duration already circulated to the relevant authorities.
The Centre’s directive comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a year-long commemoration marking 150 years of Vande Mataram. The celebrations began with the release of a special commemorative stamp and coin dedicated to the National Song.
