The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday passed a 10-point resolution opposing the Congress Working Committee's decision to reaffirm its 1937 position of limiting the singing of Vande Mataram to its first two stanzas at party programmes. The resolution seeks to defend the complete six-stanza version of the National Song and makes its historical legacy a central part of the BJP's political campaign. The BJP said it would oppose any attempt to subject Vande Mataram to "communal pressure, political appeasement or narrow vote-bank considerations". It also said the honour, dignity and national status of the complete song must be protected. The resolution argues that the Congress Working Committee's decision of August 19 cannot override constitutional institutions or laws enacted by Parliament.

A key element of the resolution is the BJP's decision to invoke Mahatma Gandhi's views on Vande Mataram. The party said it would highlight Gandhi's description of the song as an "anti-imperialist cry" associated with the "purest national spirit". The BJP intends to use this historical reference to argue that the song's significance extends beyond the debate over particular stanzas and is closely connected to India's freedom struggle and national consciousness. The resolution also refers to the political circumstances surrounding the Congress' 1937 decision. The BJP said it would place before the public the historical context in which the song's rendition was limited, including objections raised by the Muslim League and subsequent communal and separatist politics.

The party maintains that the political understanding reached in 1937 should not be treated as overriding the constitutional position established in 1950 or legislation passed by Parliament in 2026. Another major point is the BJP's plan for a nationwide campaign. Party workers, or karyakartas, will take the history, meaning, national significance and legacy of Vande Mataram to people across the country, with particular attention to younger generations. The party said the campaign would seek to familiarise young people with the song's association with the freedom movement, sacrifices made during the struggle for independence and the development of national consciousness.

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The BJP's resolution also refers to the Constituent Assembly's 1950 decision concerning Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana. It says the National Song's status was reinforced by Parliament's 2026 legislation, which the BJP describes as providing statutory protection equivalent to that given to the National Anthem. The party argues that these constitutional and statutory developments carry greater weight than the Congress Working Committee's internal resolution from 1937. The resolution was adopted at a meeting of the BJP's newly appointed national office-bearers in New Delhi. Party president Nitin Nabin said the BJP strongly condemned and unequivocally opposed the Congress decision.

He also said the party would reject efforts to subordinate the National Song to political appeasement or vote-bank considerations. The controversy follows the Congress Working Committee's August 19 decision to reaffirm its 1937 position. The Congress has maintained that its approach to the song's recitation is rooted in decisions taken during the freedom struggle and associated with leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The BJP, however, has presented the issue as one concerning national honour and the preservation of India's historical legacy. The BJP has also connected the song's historical role to its vision for India's future. Its resolution says the call of Vande Mataram, which became associated with the freedom struggle and India's independence, should continue to inspire the country's development towards 2047.

This allows the party to frame the dispute not only as a disagreement over political programmes but also as part of a broader argument about nationalism, history and India's future direction. With the nationwide campaign now announced, Vande Mataram is set to remain a prominent political flashpoint between the BJP and Congress. The BJP's 10-point resolution combines historical references, constitutional arguments and criticism of what it calls vote-bank politics, while the Congress continues to defend its position on the song's rendition. The dispute is likely to keep national symbols and their place in contemporary politics at the centre of the political debate.

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