BJP defends Vande Mataram legacy, condemns Congress decision to limit it to two stanzas

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 Committees CWC decision to continue restricting its rendition at party programmes to only the first two stanzasThe resolution was passed during the first meeting of partyrsquos new national officebearers at party headquarters and it reiterated partyrsquos reverence for Bharat Mata as well as the National Song representing the essence of Indiarsquos freedom struggle and serving as symbol of national consciousnessThis also comes close on the heels of Congress Working Committee CWCs resolution in which it reaffirmed its 1937 pledge concerning the manner in which Vande Mataram is sung at the Congress programmesThe BJP strongly objected to the Congress partys decision and said that the complete national song represents an important part of Indias freedom struggle and national heritageIn 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 programsThe BJP said that it is committed to protecting the honour dignity historical legacy and national character of the complete Vande Mataram comprising all six stanzasIt further stressed that the entire composition should continue to be recognised as an integral part of Indias national and freedom movement heritageThe resolution also reaffirmed what the BJP described as the established constitutional and legal position surrounding the National Song The party referred to the Constituent Assemblys 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 ManaThe BJP said it would firmly oppose any attempt to subject Vande Mataram to what it termed communal pressure political appeasement or narrow votebank politicsTaking aim at the Congress the resolution stated that the partys Working Committee could not place its own resolutions above Indias constitutional institutions or laws enacted by ParliamentThe 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 2026The 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 struggleThe resolution also referred to Mahatma Gandhis historical remarks on Vande Mataram highlighting his description of the song as an antiimperialist slogan associated with the purest national sentimentThe 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 forgottenThe BJP stressed that Vande Mataram carries deep memories of Indias freedom movement the sacrifices made by countless patriots the awakening of national consciousness and the countrys prolonged struggle against colonial ruleThe party maintained that no compromise would be made on the honour or legacy of Vande Mataram for the sake of political convenience or appeasementDescribing 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 Indias honour and the legacy of countless patriots who sacrificed everything for the countrys freedom the resolution saidThe BJP further invoked the historical significance of the song and its role in inspiring resistance against British ruleThe 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 statedThis legacy cannot be confined to the calculations of todays votebank politics it addedHighlighting its contribution in freedom movement the party said that the Vande Mataram was the rallying cry associated with Indias 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 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