‘Vote-bank politics’: What BJP’s new Vande Mataram resolution says about Congress, 6 stanzas

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has passed a resolution to honor the legacy of 'Vande Mataram,' the national song of India. The party explicitly stated its opposition to compromising the song for 'appeasement politics,' directly criticizing the Congress party's reaffirmation of its 1937 decision to sing only an abridged version at party events.

“

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) therefore resolves to strongly condemn and unequivocally oppose the Congress Working Committee’s decision of 19 August 2026 to reaffirm its 1937 resolution and restrict Vande Mataram to its first two stanzas at Congress programmes.

According to the resolution, the BJP committed to upholding the 'complete Vande Mataram' as an 'immortal symbol of India’s national consciousness and freedom struggle.' The party condemned the Congress Working Committee's decision to restrict the song to its first two stanzas, asserting that its legacy should not be reduced to 'vote-bank politics.' The BJP intends to launch a nationwide campaign to educate the public on the history, meaning, and national significance of 'Vande Mataram.'

“

The BJP would oppose any attempt to subject the National Song to communal pressure, political appeasement or narrow vote-bank politics… The British sought to suppress [Vande Mataram’s words] because they awakened resistance. Generations of Indians carried them as a mantra of freedom, sacrifice and national pride. That legacy cannot be reduced to the

In response, the Congress has rejected the BJP's accusations. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the ruling party of indulging in 'politics of polarization.' The resolution also highlighted the BJP's plan to expose the historical and political context behind the truncation of 'Vande Mataram,' including objections raised by the Muslim League and subsequent communal politics. This move comes after Parliament recently passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which criminalizes insults to the national song, imposing penalties of up to three years imprisonment and a fine.

“

politics of polarisation