New Delhi, August 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday stepped up its criticism of the Congress over the Congress Working Committee’s decision to continue the practice of singing only the first two stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram at party programmes.
The BJP accused the Congress of disrespecting the national song and the sentiments associated with it. The criticism came a day after the CWC resolved to retain the practice established through a 1937 CWC decision, under which only the first two stanzas are sung at Congress events.
The issue has gained prominence after the Centre recently included the complete rendition of Vande Mataram in official protocol.
Madhya Pradesh Minister Vishwas Sarang accused the Congress of “dividing” the national song and questioned the party leadership’s understanding of its historical significance.
“The Congress has divided this country and has also divided Vande Mataram,” Sarang told IANS. He alleged that successive Congress leaders, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, had been involved in what he described as disrespect towards the song.
Highlighting the role of Vande Mataram during the freedom struggle, Sarang said the song had inspired freedom fighters who fought British rule.
“How can Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi know the significance of Vande Mataram?” he said.
BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh also criticised the Congress, alleging that the party frequently takes positions that hurt the sentiments of a large section 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 what he called the Congress’s political decline to its alleged “double standards”, saying the party had reached its present position despite being India’s oldest and once largest political organisation.
Bihar minister Vijay Sinha accused the Congress of following what he described as appeasement politics and questioned its understanding of Indian culture and Vande Mataram. He called the Congress’s position “suicidal” and said the country would not accept anyone who did not respect “Mother India”.
Maharashtra BJP MLA Ram Kadam said Vande Mataram had been an important source of inspiration for revolutionaries and freedom fighters. He recalled that many freedom fighters had faced imprisonment, lathi charges and execution while invoking the song during the struggle for Independence.
Kadam alleged that the Congress had repeatedly questioned or criticised the national song and said its latest position had faced widespread criticism.
The Congress, meanwhile, continues to defend its longstanding practice of singing the first two stanzas, saying the tradition dates back to its freedom struggle and continued after Independence.
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