The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 22 August declared it will not permit what it described as Congress's 'renewed efforts to sow seeds of partition' — a sharp escalation in the political row over the full rendition of the national song Vande Mataram. The statement came hours after the BJP passed a formal resolution at its first national office-bearers' meeting at party headquarters in New Delhi, condemning the Congress Working Committee's (CWC) standing practice of restricting the song's rendition at party events to only its first two stanzas.

Key Developments

Addressing a press conference, BJP MP Sambit Patra said the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort marked the first time all six stanzas of Vande Mataram were rendered at the national event. He described the conduct of senior Congress leaders during a recent rendition of the song at party headquarters as an 'evil act', saying their visible discomfort appeared as though 'some cuss words were being used.'

Patra also noted that Congress subsequently moved into what he called 'damage control mode', with leaders defending Sonia Gandhi by claiming she had not asked to stop the national song but was instead requesting a chair for party President Mallikarjun Kharge.

Historical Context BJP Invoked

Patra traced the controversy deep into history, citing that Vande Mataram was composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay 'to prevent the partition of Bengal.' He recalled that despite British attempts to suppress it, the song was sung at Barisal, after which Madam Bhikaiji Cama raised a flag bearing the words 'Vande Mataram.'

He drew a direct parallel between the British colonial stance and the Congress position: 'Similar to the then British government, the Congress is stopping the rendition of Vande Mataram today.' He also alleged that at the 1923 Congress session in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, then Congress President Maulana Muhammad Ali threatened a walkout to prevent the full rendition of the song when Pandit Vishnu Digambarji was about to perform it.

Patra further alleged that in 1937, Vande Mataram was 'broken on the orders of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru' — accepting a demand attributed to Mohammed Ali Jinnah in a letter. 'This seed of appeasement sown by Pandit Nehru in 1937 was the seed of partition,' he alleged.

What BJP Chief Said

Patra quoted BJP national president Nitin Nabin as having stated at the office-bearers' meeting: 'The renewed attempt to sow the seeds of partition by Congress, won't be allowed by us.' He also invoked Mahatma Gandhi's reported words on the song — 'Unfortunately we have fallen on evil days...that (six stanzas) was all pure gold before, has become base metal today' — arguing that Congress was 'intentionally promoting appeasement politics.'

Legal Dimension and What Comes Next

Patra referenced the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, clarifying that while no one would be compelled to sing Vande Mataram, anyone who obstructs its rendition would face legal consequences under the amended law. He also accused Congress leaders of boycotting parliamentary debates on the Vande Mataram Bill, asking: 'Will the country run on the rules of Parliament or the CWC?'

With the BJP resolution formally on record and the amended law in place, the political confrontation over Vande Mataram is set to intensify ahead of the next round of state elections.