BJP passes 'Vande Mataram' resolution, criticizes Congress move

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has passed a comprehensive 10-point resolution strongly condemning the Congress Working Committee's recent decision to reaffirm its 1937 stance on restricting the singing of 'Vande Mataram' to its first two stanzas at party events. The BJP's resolution asserts the national song's complete form as an "immortal symbol of India’s national consciousness and freedom struggle."

A central theme of the BJP's resolution is the invocation of Mahatma Gandhi's perspective. The party resolved to highlight Gandhi's characterization of 'Vande Mataram' as an "anti-imperialist cry" associated with the "purest national spirit." This framing is used to oppose any attempts to subject the national song to "communal pressure, political appeasement or narrow vote-bank considerations."

The resolution further emphasizes the constitutional and statutory standing of 'Vande Mataram,' referencing the Constituent Assembly's 1950 pronouncement and a 2026 parliamentary amendment that grants it statutory protection equivalent to the national anthem. The BJP stated that a Congress Working Committee resolution cannot supersede constitutional institutions or laws, and a 1937 political compromise should not be elevated above the 1950 constitutional settlement and subsequent legislation.

To counter the Congress's decision, the BJP announced plans for a nationwide campaign. This initiative aims to educate party workers and the public, particularly the younger generation, about the history, meaning, and national significance of the complete six-stanza 'Vande Mataram.' The party intends to expose the historical context of the song's truncation, including objections raised by the Muslim League and subsequent politics of communal demands.