BJP president Nitin Nabin on Thursday, August 20, criticised the Congress over its decision to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at party events, accusing the opposition party of compromising on national issues for electoral gains.
Reacting to the Congress Working Committee’s decision, Nabin said the party had now become the “new Muslim League” in its pursuit of what he described as vote-bank politics.
In a post on X in Hindi, Nabin said, “The Congress has now become the new Muslim League today.”
He also accused the Congress of disrespecting the song and those who fought for India’s independence.
“This insult to the sacred invocation of ‘Bharat Mata’ is a disdain for those thousands of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the nation, keeping this very song in their consciousness,” he said.
Congress Decides to Follow 1937 Resolution
The BJP president’s remarks came a day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) decided that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram would be sung at official party programmes.
The Congress said it would follow a 1937 resolution of its highest decision-making body on the National Song.
Nabin criticised the move, saying, “The Congress has now formalised its insult (to Vande Mataram) into a resolution. Its working committee has decided that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram will be sung at Congress forums.”
The decision has triggered a fresh political dispute between the BJP and Congress over the National Song and its historical and political significance.
BJP Links Decision to Independence Day Row
Nabin also referred to a controversy surrounding the singing of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters during an Independence Day event on August 15.
Without naming anyone, he said the recent controversy reflected an “individual’s conduct” and alleged that the Congress had initially dismissed the incident as a coincidence.
“Today, that very insult has become the Congress’s policy,” the BJP said in its criticism.
Nabin further alleged that the Congress had prioritised electoral considerations over national sentiment.
“This is not merely a political defence, but proof of the hunger for that vote bank at the altar of which the Congress has repeatedly mortgaged the nation’s self-respect,” he said.
