BJP passes ‘Vande Mataram’ resolution, condemns Congress move, says no compromise on National Song’s honour

The Bharatiya Janata Party on August 22, 2026, passed a resolution strongly defending the honour, dignity and historical legacy of Vande Mataram, while condemning the Congress Working Committee’s decision to reaffirm its 1937 resolution restricting the singing of the National Song to its first two stanzas at Congress programmes.

In a post on X, BJP president Nitin Nabin said the party “strongly condemns and unequivocally opposes” the Congress decision taken on August 19.

The BJP described Vande Mataram as the National Song of Bharat, an expression of reverence for Bharat Mata, a “mantra of the freedom struggle” and an immortal symbol of India’s national consciousness.

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The resolution said the BJP would uphold the honour, dignity, legacy and national status of the complete Vande Mataram. It also affirmed what it described as the constitutional and statutory status of the National Song, citing the Constituent Assembly’s 1950 pronouncement and Parliament’s 2026 amendment extending statutory protection to Vande Mataram equivalent to that accorded to the National Anthem.

The BJP rejected what it termed attempts to subordinate the National Song to “communal pressure, political appeasement or narrow vote-bank considerations”. It said a Congress Working Committee resolution could not override the constitutional institutions or laws of the Republic of India, arguing that the political compromise of 1937 could not be placed above the constitutional settlement of 1950 and legislation enacted by Parliament in 2026.

The party also said it would highlight the historical and political context surrounding the truncation of Vande Mataram, including objections raised by the Muslim League and the subsequent politics of communal and separatist demands.The resolution invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s testimony that Vande Mataram had become an “anti-imperialist cry” and that he associated it with “the purest national spirit”. The BJP said this demonstrated the song’s larger national meaning beyond the literary or religious context of particular stanzas.

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As part of its resolution, the BJP said it would undertake a nationwide campaign through its karyakartas to take the history, meaning, national significance and legacy of Vande Mataram to every corner of Bharat.

The party also said it would focus on younger generations, seeking to ensure that the complete six-stanza National Song and its history are not forgotten. It said future generations should understand the sacrifices, struggles and patriotic awakening associated with Vande Mataram.

The BJP further affirmed that “no compromise” could be accepted with the honour and legacy of Vande Mataram for political convenience or appeasement.

Nabin said the issue was not merely about a political party but concerned “the honour of Bharat” and the legacy of patriots who sacrificed for the nation’s freedom.

The BJP said the words Vande Mataram were once powerful enough to frighten an empire, with the British seeking to suppress them because they awakened resistance. According to the party, generations of Indians carried the words as a mantra of freedom, sacrifice and national pride.

The resolution concluded by linking the legacy of Vande Mataram to the vision of a “Developed India @ 2047” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the same Vande Mataram that echoed as a call for freedom in 1947 would resound as the “supreme chant” for the country’s future.