The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, 20 August launched a coordinated offensive against the Indian National Congress over the Congress Working Committee's (CWC) decision to continue reciting only the first two stanzas of the national song 'Vande Mataram' at party events, accusing the opposition party of disrespecting both the song and the national sentiments it embodies.

Background: The CWC Decision

The controversy follows a CWC resolution passed a day earlier, reaffirming a tradition rooted in a 1937 CWC decision that restricts the rendition of 'Vande Mataram' to its first two stanzas at Congress programmes. The timing has drawn particular attention because the Centre has recently made the complete rendition of the national song mandatory under official protocol, sharpening the contrast between government policy and the Congress party's internal practice.

What BJP Leaders Said

Madhya Pradesh Minister Vishwas Sarang was among the sharpest critics, accusing the Congress of fracturing not just the nation but the national song itself. 'The Congress has divided this country and has also divided Vande Mataram. The Congress has been committing this sin. Whether it was Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi, they have all been involved. Just four days ago, look at the way Sonia Gandhi insulted Vande Mataram. You talk about dividing the country, and you are dividing Vande Mataram,' Sarang said. He further questioned whether Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi could truly appreciate the historical weight of the song, given its role in inspiring freedom fighters against British rule.

BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh alleged that the Congress routinely adopts positions that wound the sentiments of a large segment of the population. 'Congress does everything that hurts the sentiments of the majority of people in this country. It does everything that goes against them, and Congress needs to look at itself in the mirror,' Singh said. He attributed the party's political decline to what he described as persistent double standards, adding: 'It is because of this very double standards that, despite being the largest and oldest party, it has reached this stage today.'

Bihar government minister Vijay Sinha framed the Congress stance as a product of appeasement politics, questioning the leadership's grasp of Indian culture. 'Congress is mentally enslaved, and the people in Congress are like bonded labourers. Such appeasement decisions at the behest of Sonia Gandhi, who is far removed from Indian culture and doesn't even understand the meaning of Vande Mataram, would be suicidal,' Sinha said, adding: 'This country will not accept anyone who doesn't respect Mother India.'

Historical Significance of Vande Mataram

Maharashtra BJP MLA Ram Kadam underscored the song's centrality to India's independence movement. 'Vande Mataram was the slogan of the revolutionaries and a source of inspiration during the freedom struggle. Many patriots went to the gallows, endured imprisonment and suffered lathi charges while chanting Vande Mataram,' Kadam said. He alleged that the Congress had repeatedly questioned or criticised the national song and claimed its latest position had drawn widespread public criticism.

Congress Position

The Congress, for its part, maintains that its practice of singing the first two stanzas is a longstanding tradition observed both during the independence struggle and in the decades since. The party has not issued a fresh public statement in response to Thursday's BJP criticism. This is not the first time the two-stanza practice has become a political flashpoint; the debate over the complete versus partial rendition of 'Vande Mataram' has surfaced repeatedly in Indian political discourse, typically intensifying around national occasions or shifts in government protocol.