The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has decided that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram can be sung at occasion programmes, amid BJP assaults over the Nationwide Track’s rendition at its Independence Day programme and later at an occasion in Goa.
The Congress’s highest decision-making physique cited a 1937 CWC decision to again its stand, arguing that the main lights of the liberty motion, together with Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, had backed limiting the general public rendition of Vande Mataram to its first two stanzas.
The row comes months after Parliament made intentional makes an attempt to forestall or disrupt the singing or taking part in of Vande Mataram an offence.
Why did the Congress in 1937 distinguish between the primary two stanzas and the remainder of the tune? What do the remaining 4 stanzas say, and why have they been contentious?
The composition
Vande Mataram (that means ‘mom, I bow to thee’) was composed in Sanskritised Bengali by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875. Six years later, it was included in his novel Anandamath, which tells the story of the late-18th century Sanyasi Insurrection — a sequence of armed uprisings in Bengal towards the East India Firm rule and the regional Muslim directors.
Vande Mataram gained reputation in the course of the Swadeshi motion (1905-08), changing into intently related to the liberty wrestle.
The Muslim League, nonetheless, was towards some references within the tune, and in addition believed that “bowing to the mom” quantities to idolatry.
The 1937 resolution
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Inside the Congress, there was a dialogue in regards to the Vande Mataram problem. A number of folks, together with Subhas Chandra Bose (who supported the tune wholeheartedly) and Jawaharlal Nehru, wrote to Tagore to hunt his opinion.
Tagore wrote to Nehru: “To me the spirit of tenderness and devotion expressed in its first portion, the emphasis it gave to lovely and beneficent elements of our motherland made a particular enchantment, a lot in order that I discovered no issue in dissociating it from the remainder of the poem…”
He added: “I freely concede that the entire of Bankim’s ‘Vande Mataram’ poem, learn along with its context, is liable to be interpreted in ways in which may wound Moslem susceptibilities, however a nationwide tune, although derived from it, which has spontaneously come to consist solely of the primary two stanzas of the unique poem, needn’t remind us each time of the entire…” [From Sabyasachi Bhattacharya’s book, Vande Mataram: The Biography of a Song].
In October 1937, the Congress Working Committee had determined that when Vande Mataram is sung at nationwide gatherings, solely the primary two stanzas ought to be sung, as the opposite “stanzas of the tune are little identified and hardly sung. They comprise sure allusions and a spiritual ideology which is probably not in step with the ideology of different spiritual teams in India”.
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Mahatma Gandhi on the Indian Nationwide Congress annual assembly in Haripura in 1938. Congress President Subhas Chandra Bose is sporting the ribbon, seated behind him is Dr Rajendra Prasad, and to the suitable of Bose is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. (Picture: Wikimedia Commons)
Mahatma Gandhi too, whereas expressing admiration for the tune, stated it shouldn’t be sung at gatherings the place folks objected to it. On July 1, 1939, he wrote in Harijan: “It was an anti-imperialist cry… It had by no means occurred to me that it was a Hindu tune or meant just for Hindus. Sadly, now we have now fallen on evil days… I might not threat a single quarrel over singing Vandemataram at a combined gathering.”
The identical month, he once more wrote in Harijan that “if at any combined gathering any particular person objected to the singing of Vandemataram even with the Congress expurgations, the singing ought to be dropped.” [Mahatma Gandhi and the Harmony of Music, By Teresa Joseph & AM Thomas].
Why the later stanzas are contentious
The opposition to Vande Mataram from Muslim students is rooted within the interpretation that the tune’s imagery of “Mom India” as a goddess violates the fundamental Islamic tenet of strict monotheism, which forbids followers from worshipping anybody aside from Allah.
The third stanza talks about “crores and crores” of arms able to bear swords within the defence of the motherland, whereas the fourth says the motherland’s picture is carved out in each shrine, and the fifth likens the motherland to goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. This invocation of Hindu goddesses has sparked objections from Muslim students.
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The latter components of the tune, in response to historian Tanika Sarkar, “turn out to be a name to conflict the place Muslims are the adversary within the Anandmath, and the motherland right here acquires the type of a Hindu goddess that alienates Muslims”.
The political debate
When India gained Independence, there was a requirement for Vande Mataram to be adopted because the nationwide anthem. Within the Constituent Meeting, there was some friction on the problem. On August 14, 1947, on the Assumption of Energy ceremony, Sucheta Kripalani sang the primary verse of Vande Mataram because the opening merchandise. On August 26, HV Kamath rose within the Meeting to say that on that day: “…A few of us on this Home seen that a variety of our Honourable buddies entered the Meeting Chamber — I might virtually say trooped into this Corridor — after the tune had been sung. I might request you, Sir, to look into this matter…”
The tune and its stanzas
Amongst those that most well-liked Jana Gana Mana because the anthem had been Nehru, and among the many causes he cited was that Vande Mataram can be tough to set to an orchestra. On November 5, 1948, Seth Govind Das stated within the Constituent Meeting: “…I might say that ‘Vande Mataram’ might be our Nationwide Anthem. The historical past of our wrestle for independence is related to Vande Mataram. If it’s stated that’s tune will not be match for orchestrisation I might submit that it is a issue which might be overcome by consultants in orchestral music.”
Jana Gana Mana was ultimately chosen because the anthem.
On January 24, 1950, President Rajendra Prasad instructed the Constituent Meeting: “The composition consisting of the phrases and music generally known as Jana Gana Mana is the Nationwide Anthem of India, topic to such alterations within the phrases because the Authorities could authorise as event arises; and the tune Vande Mataram, which has performed a historic half within the wrestle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal standing with it. I hope this can fulfill the Members.”
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The BJP has just lately made a serious push to sing all six stanzas of the tune. The Ministry of Residence Affairs on January 28 notified the primary set of protocols for singing Vande Mataram, directing that every one six stanzas shall be sung throughout official features.
The BJP has lengthy accused the Congress of giving in to its “appeasement politics” over Vande Mataram’s truncation.
Now, the Congress’s stand comes at a time Parliament has handed the Prevention of Insults to Nationwide Honour (Modification) Act, 2026, which amends Part 3 of the Prevention of Insults to Nationwide Honour Act, 1971 to increase the identical authorized safety to the Vande Mataram that the Nationwide Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, enjoys. The modification makes it an offence to deliberately forestall the singing of the Nationwide Track or to trigger a disturbance to an meeting engaged in its singing.
Congress basic secretary Jairam Ramesh instructed The Indian Categorical: “Dr. Rajendra Prasad as President of the Constituent Meeting introduced on Jan 24 1950 that Vande Mataram (first two stanzas) would be the nationwide tune… This was accepted by the Constituent Meeting with cheers. However in December 2025, Parliament solely had a dialogue and by no means ever adopted a decision saying that the total Vande Mataram would be the nationwide tune. This was a unilateral resolution of the PM and HM by notification, which doesn’t have Parliamentary approval.”
