‘Will sing only first two stanzas’: Congress sharpens stance on Vande Mataram

Following a CWC meeting convened by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief, Mallikarjun Kharge, at the party headquarters Indira Bhavan in Delhi, AICC general secretary in charge of organisation K C Venugopal told a press conference that there was “no confusion” over the rendition of Vande Mataram within the Congress.

“The Congress president (Kharge) categorically said it yesterday. It was clarified. But again today, it was discussed by the Congress Working Committee. Our stand is very clear. The CWC resolution of 1937… Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel. We will abide by the decision taken by them. Our Congress workers will do that only – sing only the first two stanzas,” Venugopal said.

“The national anthem (Jana Gana Mana) and Vande Mataram are emotional for the Congress, but it is political for the BJP. That is the difference between us and them,” he said.

Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi at the CWC meeting in New Delhi, Wednesday. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)

AICC general secretary in charge of communication Jairam Ramesh said that during the CWC meeting, Kharge read some portions of the 1937 CWC resolution. “There is no controversy in this. This is being made an issue while today’s issues are different… During the last meeting of the Constituent Assembly of India on January 24, 1950, its president Rajendra Prasad, who became the first President of India, reiterated that the national anthem will be Jana Gana Mana and the national song will be Vande Mataram,” he said.

With the BJP escalating its attack on the Congress over the rendition of Vande Mataram during an Independence Day event at the AICC headquarters and later at an event in Goa attended by Kharge, the CWC took up the matter to clarify its position.

During the recently concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament, the Narendra Modi government passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, which makes attempts to stop or prevent the singing or playing of Vande Mataram a criminal offence.

Facing the BJP’s attack for not singing all six stanzas of Vande Mataram at a Goa event Tuesday, Kharge said he sang the exact same version of the national song that leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, and Sardar Patel sang, arguing that if singing that version constituted a crime, the government should also register an FIR against the late national leaders.

Paper leaks, temple ‘theft’

The CWC meeting, which was attended by the party top brass including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, discussed the party’s roadmap ahead, working out strategy for its countrywide campaigns against the BJP government on issues like student protests over exam irregularities and the alleged donation theft at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The CWC resolved that the party would expand its agitation on paper leaks, led by Rahul’s “Chhatron ki Goonj” campaign, while also taking the temple donation row to the grassroots level across the country.

“We are focused on three-four issues. Number one is paper leaks. The agitation done by the people of the country and the way the government dealt with that agitation was discussed. The CWC noted that the Monsoon Session of Parliament was successful for the Opposition and that the government was on the back foot,” Venugopal said.

Kharge asked the Congress Chief Ministers to work with education experts to come up with a plan to overhaul the education and examination system and submit a report to him, Venugopal said.

“Chanda chori (temple donation theft) is a serious area of concern among the people of the country. It is an issue associated with sentiments of people. Those who used Ram Mandir for polarising people now stand exposed,” he said. “We will take this issue to the grassroots level. We directed PCCs (Pradesh Congress Committees) to take it up at the village and panchayat levels.”

The Congress also alleged that the government was following a “surrender policy” with “Chinese incursions” taking place in Arunachal Pradesh.

The CWC reiterated the party’s demand that the women’s reservation law be implemented on the Lok Sabha’s existing strength of 543 seats.

All four party CMs – A Revanth Reddy (Telangana), V D Satheesan (Kerala), Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh), and D K Shivakumar (Karnataka) – were in attendance at the CWC meeting.