BJP passes resolution to protect Vande Mataram legacy, condemns CWC decision to limit it to two-stanzas

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday passed a resolution strongly defending the honour, dignity and historical legacy of the national song Vande Mataram and condemned 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 during the first meeting of party’s new national office-bearers at party headquarters and it reiterated party’s reverence for Bharat Mata as well as the National Song, representing the essence of India’s freedom struggle and serving as symbol of national consciousness.

This also comes close on the heels of Congress Working Committee (CWC)’s resolution, in which it reaffirmed its 1937 pledge concerning the manner in which Vande Mataram is sung at the Congress programmes.

The BJP strongly objected to the Congress party’s decision and said that the complete national song represents an important part of India’s freedom struggle and national heritage.

In its resolution shared by party chief Nitin Nabin, the BJP 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 that it is committed to protecting the “honour, dignity, historical legacy and national character” of the complete Vande Mataram, comprising all six stanzas.

It further 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. The party 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”.

Taking aim at the Congress, the resolution stated that 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 further announced that it would bring before the public the historical and political circumstances surrounding restrictions on the singing of Vande Mataram. It said this 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 also 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 further said that its workers would take the history, meaning, national significance and legacy of Vande Mataram to people across the country. The party said a special awareness campaign would also be undertaken among the youth to ensure that the complete National Song, along with the history associated with it, is not forgotten.

The BJP stressed that Vande Mataram carries deep memories of India’s freedom movement, the sacrifices made by countless patriots, the awakening of national consciousness and the country’s prolonged struggle against colonial rule.

The party maintained that no compromise would be made on the honour or legacy of Vande Mataram for the sake of political convenience or appeasement.

Describing the matter as being larger than the 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 resolution said.

The BJP further invoked the historical significance of the song 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 its contribution in freedom movement, the party said that the Vande Mataram was the rallying cry associated with India’s Independence in 1947 and asserted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it would also become the “great clarion call” of Viksit Bharat in 2047.

IANS