BJP Condemns Congress Resolution to Sing Only Two Stanzas of Vande Mataram

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) passed a resolution on Wednesday deciding that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram will be sung at all future party events. This decision aligns with a 1937 resolution of the party's highest decision making body. The BJP responded by condemning the move, with leaders accusing the Congress of placing the party above the nation.

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi described the resolution as extremely reprehensible. He stated that the Congress has become the new Muslim League by insisting on the same demands made by the Muslim League in 1937. Trivedi argued that the decision raises questions about the party's patriotism and loyalty to the country, claiming the Congress considers its own resolutions to be above the Constitution and parliamentary law.

BJP president Nitin Nabin also criticized the decision on Thursday, calling it an insult to the sacred invocation of Bharat Mata and a disdain for the martyrs of the nation. Nabin suggested that the Congress has formalized this stance to secure a specific vote bank, asserting that the party has mortgaged the nation's self respect. He further referenced a previous incident during an Independence Day event on August 15 where the singing of the full version of the song caused a row, which the Congress had previously dismissed as a coincidence.

Outlets with a center lean focused on the BJP's claims that the Congress is placing itself above constitutional law. In contrast, an outlet with a center left lean highlighted the BJP's framing of the resolution as a strategic move to appeal to a specific vote bank.