Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 22: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday passed a resolution strongly defending the honour, dignity and historical legacy of the national song Vande Mataram, while condemning the Congress Working Committee's (CWC) decision to continue restricting its rendition at party programmes to only the first two stanzas.
The resolution was passed at the first meeting of the BJP's new national office-bearers at the party headquarters. It reiterated the party's reverence for Bharat Mata and Vande Mataram, describing the song as an embodiment of India's freedom struggle and a symbol of national consciousness.
The development comes shortly after the CWC reaffirmed its 1937 resolution on the manner in which Vande Mataram should be sung at Congress programmes.
The BJP strongly objected to the Congress decision, maintaining that the complete composition forms an important part of India's freedom struggle and national heritage.
In the resolution shared by BJP president Nitin Nabin, the party said, "The Bharatiya Janata Party strongly condemns and unequivocally opposes the decision of the Congress Working Committee on August 19, 2026, to reaffirm its 1937 resolution by limiting the singing of 'Vande Mataram' to only its first two stanzas in Congress programs."
The BJP said it was committed to protecting the "honour, dignity, historical legacy and national character" of the complete Vande Mataram, comprising all six stanzas.
It stressed that the entire composition should continue to be recognised as an integral part of India's national and freedom movement heritage.
The resolution also reaffirmed what the BJP described as the established constitutional and legal position surrounding the National Song. It referred to the Constituent Assembly's declaration in 1950 and the legal protection accorded to Vande Mataram by Parliament in 2026, arguing that the National Song had thereby been placed on a footing comparable to the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.
The BJP said it would firmly oppose any attempt to subject Vande Mataram to what it termed "communal pressure, political appeasement or narrow vote-bank politics".
Targeting the Congress, the resolution said the party's Working Committee could not place its own resolutions above India's constitutional institutions or laws enacted by Parliament.
The BJP argued that the political understanding reached in 1937 could not be treated as being above the constitutional position established in 1950 or legislation enacted by Parliament in 2026.
The party also announced that it would bring before the public the historical and political circumstances surrounding restrictions on the singing of Vande Mataram. This, it said, would include discussion of objections raised by the Muslim League and the political developments that followed amid growing communal and separatist demands during the freedom struggle.
The resolution referred to Mahatma Gandhi's historical remarks on Vande Mataram, highlighting his description of the song as an "anti-imperialist slogan" associated with the "purest national sentiment".
The BJP said its workers would take the history, meaning, national significance and legacy of Vande Mataram to people across the country. A special awareness campaign would also be undertaken among the youth to ensure that the complete National Song and the history associated with it are not forgotten.
The party stressed that Vande Mataram carries deep memories of India's freedom movement, the sacrifices of countless patriots, the awakening of national consciousness and the country's prolonged struggle against colonial rule.
It maintained that no compromise would be made on the honour or legacy of Vande Mataram for political convenience or appeasement.
Describing the matter as larger than political differences between the BJP and Congress, the resolution said, "This is not merely an issue concerning any political party. It is a question of India's honour and the legacy of countless patriots who sacrificed everything for the country's freedom."
The BJP also invoked the historical significance of Vande Mataram and its role in inspiring resistance against British rule.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party calls upon the countrymen to remember -- the words of Vande Mataram were once so powerful that an empire trembled in fear of them. The British tried to suppress them because those words had awakened the consciousness of resistance. Generations of Indians embraced them as the mantra of freedom, sacrifice, and national pride," the resolution stated.
"This legacy cannot be confined to the calculations of today's vote-bank politics," it added.
Highlighting the song's contribution to the freedom movement, the BJP said Vande Mataram was a rallying cry associated with India's Independence in 1947. It asserted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the song would also become the "great clarion call" of Viksit Bharat in 2047.