New Delhi, Aug 2026 : BJP National President Nitin Nabin on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Congress over the Congress Working Committee’s (CWC) decision to continue reciting only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at party programmes, accusing the opposition party of turning what he described as disrespect to the national song into an official organisational position.
The BJP’s criticism came a day after the CWC resolved to maintain the practice established by a 1937 decision, under which only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram are sung at Congress events. The issue has gained renewed political significance after the Centre recently incorporated the complete rendition of the national song into official protocol.
Reacting to the CWC decision in a post on X, Nabin said the Congress had now formally endorsed its position through an organisational resolution.
“The Congress has now formalised its insult into a resolution. Its working committee has decided that only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ will be sung at Congress forums,” he said.
The BJP president also referred to the controversy surrounding the Independence Day celebrations at the Congress headquarters, where the complete version of Vande Mataram was played.
BJP leaders had alleged that Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi appeared uncomfortable during the rendition and attempted to stop the song from being played in its entirety. The Congress had rejected the allegations and maintained that the incident had been misrepresented.
Nabin argued that the Congress had initially treated the controversy as an isolated incident or coincidence, but the latest CWC resolution had effectively transformed the issue into an official party policy.
“When, just a few days ago, this same insult had been exposed in the conduct of an individual, the Congress had dismissed it as a coincidence. Today, that very insult has become the Congress’s policy,” he said.
The BJP chief further accused the Congress of disrespecting the national song and invoked the sacrifices of freedom fighters who, he said, regarded Vande Mataram as an important symbol of the freedom struggle.
“This insult to the sacred invocation of ‘Bharat Mata’ is a contempt for those thousands of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the nation, keeping this very song alive in their consciousness,” Nabin said.
He also alleged that the Congress decision was influenced by electoral considerations and accused the party of repeatedly compromising national sentiment in pursuit of political support.
“This is not merely a political defence, but proof of the hunger for that vote bank before which the Congress has repeatedly pawned the nation’s self-respect,” he alleged.
Taking his attack further, Nabin compared the present-day Congress with the Muslim League, saying, “The Congress has now become the new Muslim League of today.”
The remarks are expected to intensify the political debate surrounding Vande Mataram, with the BJP seeking to portray the Congress position as an issue of national sentiment, while the Congress has defended its historical convention on the song.
