‘National Song, Not Vote Bank’: BJP Escalates Vande Mataram Battle With Congress

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its political attack on the Congress over the Vande Mataram controversy, adopting a 10-point resolution that strongly opposes the Congress Working Committee’s decision to restrict the singing of the National Song to its first two stanzas at party programmes. The BJP passed the resolution on Saturday, August 22, 2026.

BJP Denounces “Vote-Bank” Politics

The resolution is based on the BJP’s resistance to what it calls “communal pressure”, “political appeasement” and “narrow vote-bank considerations” over Vande Mataram. The party maintained that the status and legacy of the National Song should not be compromised for political reasons.

The resolution also criticized Congress for reaffirming its 1937 position of singing only the first two stanzas. “Today, the constitutional and legal framework governing national symbols should not be superseded by a political compromise of historic proportions,” the BJP said.

BJP highlights Vande Mataram’s legacy of freedom struggle

The BJP resolution is to highlight the role of Vande Mataram in the freedom movement of India. It mentions Mahatma Gandhi's description of the song as a “anti-imperialist cry” belonging to the national spirit.

The party had said it wanted to highlight the historical importance of the full song and keep its legacy alive for the next generation.

Planned Nationwide Campaign

The resolution also mentions a proposed countrywide campaign by BJP workers to spread awareness about Vande Mataram, its history and its place in the national consciousness of India.

The party also called for more efforts to educate the youth about the song's association with the freedom struggle and sacrifices related to India's independence movement.

Congress-BJP Political Fight Intensifies

The issue has added a new dimension to the ongoing political slugfest between the BJP and the Congress. The BJP has tried to project the issue in terms of national symbols, historical legacy and opposition to the politics of appeasement while the Congress has tried to justify its stand on the basis of the historical circumstances that led to the 1937 decision.

Vande Mataram has become a new political flashpoint, with the BJP adopting a formal 10-point resolution and the two parties giving sharply differing versions of its history and politics.