The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Wednesday decided to abide by the 1937 resolution of its highest decision-making body on Vande Mataram, saying only the first two stanzas of the National Song will
be sung at party events in future. The decision came amid a sharp political row with the BJP over the Congress’s refusal to sing the full version.
After a meeting of the CWC that lasted more than four hours, party general secretary KC Venugopal said there was no confusion over its position and that Congress would follow the decision taken by its top leadership in 1937.
Asked if only the first two stanzas would be sung at party events, Venugopal said, “Yes, first two stanzas.”
Congress Cites 1937 Resolution
Venugopal said the 1937 decision was taken in the presence of senior leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel.
“There is no confusion on that. Congress president categorically said so yesterday in Goa. Today we also discussed the issue in the meeting of the CWC. Our stand is very clear,” the Congress senior leader said.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the CWC had passed a resolution on Vande Mataram on October 28, 1937, following discussions involving the party’s top leadership.
He said the Congress has consistently maintained that “Jana Gana Mana” is the National Anthem and Vande Mataram the National Song.
Ramesh also accused the BJP of using the issue to divert attention from other national concerns. “There is no controversy on this issue. This issue is being made out deliberately as today’s issue is youth, examinations, ‘chanda chori’ and failure of foreign policy,” he added.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had on Tuesday defended his singing of the two-stanza version, saying it was the same version sung by leaders including Gandhi, Nehru, Patel and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
BJP Calls Congress ‘New Muslim League’
The BJP strongly condemned the Congress decision, accusing it of disrespecting the National Song and questioning its commitment to the country.
BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress had “completely shattered” its claim of being the “sole copyright holder” of the freedom struggle by refusing to sing the full version.
Trivedi also called the Congress a “new Muslim League”, alleging that the party had adopted the same opposition to the full version that he attributed to the Muslim League.
He said the Congress decision raised questions about its “patriotism and loyalty” and accused the party of placing itself above the Constitution, Parliament and the country.
“The Muslim League was vehemently against the full version of Vande Mataram in 1931. With the same stubbornness, the Congress has taken the decision on Vande Mataram at its meeting today despite a law has been passed by Parliament,” he said.
The BJP had earlier criticised Kharge for singing an “incomplete” version of Vande Mataram at a public meeting in South Goa, triggering the latest round of the political dispute.
(With inputs from PTI)
