1 week ago
Congress, BJP Clash Over Two-Stanza Vande Mataram Dispute
India’s Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party are arguing about how much of Vande Mataram should be sung.
Congress says it will sing two stanzas at its own events.
It says this follows a decision made by its leaders in 1937.
The BJP says leaving out the other stanzas is disrespectful and connected to vote-bank politics.
Congress says the BJP is using an emotional subject to distract people from important problems.
Leaders from the Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party also criticized the BJP and the RSS.
The argument became especially heated in Uttar Pradesh.
Both sides accuse the other of not showing enough patriotism.
The Congress Working Committee reaffirmed its 1937 resolution to sing two stanzas of Vande Mataram at party events.
Amit Shah and BJP leaders accused Congress of insulting the national song and pursuing appeasement and vote-bank politics.
Jairam Ramesh called BJP leaders “fraudulent and fake nationalists” and accused Narendra Modi and Amit Shah of diverting attention from public issues.
Congress cited a 1937 resolution associated with leaders including Nehru, Patel, Bose and Azad, reportedly adopted on Rabindranath Tagore’s advice.
SP and AAP leaders questioned the BJP and RSS’s patriotic record, while Uttar Pradesh BJP and Congress leaders exchanged further accusations.
- Who
- The Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Jairam Ramesh, Amit Shah, and leaders of the Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party.
- What
- A political dispute over whether Congress should sing two stanzas or the complete version of Vande Mataram at its events.
- Where
- The dispute was discussed at a Congress Working Committee meeting in New Delhi and escalated among party leaders in Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow.
- When
- Congress reaffirmed its position on Wednesday; the latest accusations were reported on Thursday, August 20.
- Why
- Congress says it is following its 1937 resolution, while the BJP says limiting the song is insulting and reflects appeasement politics.
Congress, SP and AAP position
BJP position
How much of the song should be sung
Congress, SP and AAP position
Congress says it will sing the two stanzas covered by its 1937 resolution at party events. SP and AAP leaders also rejected the BJP’s claim that Congress’s position proves a lack of patriotism.
BJP position
The BJP says Congress should sing the complete version and accused it of insulting the national song by leaving out the remaining stanzas.
Meaning of the 1937 decision
Congress, SP and AAP position
Congress says the resolution was adopted by major national leaders, reportedly on Tagore’s advice, and represents its longstanding position on the song.
BJP position
Amit Shah and Keshav Prasad Maurya say the 1937 decision fragmented Vande Mataram for appeasement and helped strengthen political divisions that preceded Partition.
Political motives and patriotism
Congress, SP and AAP position
Congress, SP and AAP accused the BJP and RSS of politicising the issue and questioned their historical record on patriotism, the freedom movement and the national flag.
BJP position
The BJP says Congress’s stance reflects vote-bank politics, religious appeasement and resistance to a national symbol of unity.
Key facts
- Congress decision
- Only two stanzas of Vande Mataram will be sung at Congress party events.
- Historical basis
- Congress cited a resolution passed by its highest decision-making body on October 28, 1937.
- Leaders cited
- The resolution was associated with Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and other leaders, reportedly on Rabindranath Tagore’s advice.
- 1950 announcement
- Rajendra Prasad announced that Jana Gana Mana would be the national anthem and Vande Mataram the national song.
- BJP criticism
- Amit Shah and Keshav Prasad Maurya accused Congress of fragmenting the song and pursuing appeasement or vote-bank politics.
- Congress response
- Jairam Ramesh accused Narendra Modi and Amit Shah of politicising the issue and diverting attention from public concerns.
- Other opposition response
- Akhilesh Yadav and Sanjay Singh questioned the BJP and RSS’s ability or historical connection to Vande Mataram and patriotism.
Quotes
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya
Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister
“"This obstinacy of keeping the National Song incomplete under the pressure of fundamentalists is continuously taking the Congress away from public sentiment."”
theprint.in
“"Vande Mataram is sung in the Congress, but it is not sung at BJP programmes. This has been happening in the Congress since 1937 and it has always been sung."”
theprint.in
Sources
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