New Delhi: The Congress has clarified its position on Vande Mataram, saying the party will follow the decision taken at the 1937 Congress session and sing only the first two stanzas of the national song at its official programmes.
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal announced the decision after the Congress Working Committee meeting at Indira Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday. He said Vande Mataram and the national anthem are emotional issues for the Congress, while accusing the BJP of turning them into political issues.
The clarification comes amid a political row over the Independence Day celebrations at the Congress headquarters on August 15. The BJP had alleged that senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the party president, had attempted to stop the singing of Vande Mataram. The Congress has rejected the allegations.
Congress cites 1937 decision
According to the Congress, its decision to sing only two stanzas is based on a resolution adopted at the party’s 1937 session.
Vande Mataram was accorded the status of India’s national song by the Constituent Assembly in 1950. The song is traditionally associated with six stanzas.
The issue has gained fresh political significance following the government’s reported introduction of legislation in 2026 dealing with disrespect or deliberate obstruction of the national song.
This year’s Independence Day celebrations also saw all six stanzas of Vande Mataram being sung from the Red Fort, according to the information provided.
