1 week ago
Congress Faces Unease Over Its Vande Mataram Stand
The Congress party decided that its own events should sing only the first two parts of Vande Mataram.
Some party members think this decision created an unnecessary political problem.
They believe the BJP benefits when the debate focuses on patriotism and the national song.
Congress lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the law mainly concerns official government functions.
He said the law does not clearly control what happens at private homes, institutions, or party meetings.
Congress leaders defended their decision by referring to an old resolution from 1937.
Vande Mataram was sung in full at some state Independence Day events connected to Congress.
Kerala did not sing it at its official event, showing that different governments handled the issue differently.
The Congress Working Committee reaffirmed that only Vande Mataram’s first two stanzas should be sung at party events.
Some Congress members said the decision unnecessarily allowed the BJP to focus political attention on the issue.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the amended law distinguishes official government functions from private or party events.
Vande Mataram was sung in full at Independence Day events in several Congress-governed states, while Kerala omitted it.
The CWC defended its position by citing a 1937 resolution associated with Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.
- Who
- The Indian National Congress, its Working Committee, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and Congress leaders and critics within the party.
- What
- The Congress reaffirmed that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung at party events, prompting internal criticism and a debate over the law.
- Where
- The debate concerns Congress party events and official functions in New Delhi and several Indian states, including Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jharkhand.
- When
- The CWC reaffirmed the position on Wednesday, after the law was passed by the Lok Sabha on July 30, 2026.
- Why
- Congress leaders said the decision protects the freedom movement’s legacy, while critics said it gave the Bharatiya Janata Party an advantageous political issue.
Congress Critics
Congress Leadership Defenders
Political strategy
Congress Critics
Some Congress Working Committee members said the party should have avoided the issue because it played to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s political strengths and diverted attention from other matters.
Congress Leadership Defenders
Kanhaiya Kumar said the party needed a clear position to prevent confusion among its rank and file and to defend the freedom movement’s legacy.
Scope of the law
Congress Critics
Critics within Congress pointed out that the party did not oppose the amendment bill outside Parliament, despite now taking a strong public position on Vande Mataram.
Congress Leadership Defenders
Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the amended law concerns official functions and obstruction of singing, and does not clearly regulate private homes, institutions, or internal party functions.
National song rendition
Congress Critics
The different actions of Congress-linked governments—full renditions in several states and no rendition in Kerala—underscore concerns about inconsistency.
Congress Leadership Defenders
Singhvi said individual state governments can make their own decisions and argued that Congress gave Vande Mataram national-song status equal to that of the national anthem.
Key facts
- Congress decision
- Only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung at Congress party events.
- Legal opinion
- Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the law addresses official national functions and obstruction of the national song, but is silent on a particular form of rendition at private or party events.
- CWC basis
- The Congress Working Committee cited a 1937 resolution and the views of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.
- Parliamentary bill
- The Lok Sabha passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in about 15 minutes on July 30 amid protests.
- Full renditions
- Vande Mataram was sung in full at Independence Day events in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Jharkhand.
- Kerala event
- The Congress-led Kerala government omitted Vande Mataram from its official Independence Day function.
Quotes
Abhishek Manu Singhvi
Chief legal adviser of the Congress and noted lawyer
“We had to take a clear-cut stand. Otherwise, there would have been confusion among the rank and file. We have to defend the legacy of the freedom movement as it is our legacy.”
indianexpress.com
“The law talks about national official functions … it does not say anything about private functions in your house, hotel, or institution.”
indianexpress.com
Unnamed CWC member
Member of the Congress Working Committee
“There are more important issues that are playing out. The aspirations of students, chanda chori, the government seems to be on the backfoot. We should not have played to the BJP’s strength.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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