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BJP president Nitin Nabin has accused the Congress of turning a long-running controversy over ‘Vande Mataram’ into party policy, after the Congress Working Committee resolved that only the song’s first two stanzas should be sung at national gatherings. Nabin alleged that the decision amounted to an insult to ‘Bharat Mata’ and accused the Congress of pursuing vote-bank politics.

Nabin Targets Congress

In a post on social media, Nabin said the Congress had now “formalised” what he described as an insult to the national song. He argued that the decision dishonoured the memory of martyrs who had drawn inspiration from ‘Vande Mataram’ during the freedom struggle.

कांग्रेस ने अब अपने अपमान को एक प्रस्ताव की शक्ल दे दी है। उसकी कार्यसमिति ने तय किया है कि कांग्रेस के मंचों पर ‘वंदे मातरम्’ के केवल पहले दो छंद ही गाए जाएंगे।

जब कुछ दिन पूर्व यही अपमान एक व्यक्ति के आचरण में उजागर हुआ था, तब कांग्रेस ने उसे संयोग बताकर टाल दिया था। आज वही…

— Nitin Nabin (@NitinNabin) August 19, 2026

Nabin also accused the Congress of repeatedly compromising the country's self-respect for electoral gains, and went on to describe the party as the “new Muslim League of today”.

Congress Cites 1937 Stand

The resolution echoes the Congress's position from 1937, when its Working Committee had recommended that only the first two stanzas be sung at national gatherings, while acknowledging the song's importance to India's freedom movement.

The decision has renewed an already heated political dispute between the BJP and Congress over the national song.

The latest controversy follows an Independence Day programme held at the Congress headquarters on August 15, where ‘Vande Mataram’ was performed in the presence of senior party leaders.

BJP leaders have alleged that Sonia Gandhi asked for ‘Vande Mataram’ to be stopped midway during the August 15 programme, calling the alleged intervention disrespectful to the national song.

The Congress rejected the allegations. The party said Rahul Gandhi, who was present at the event, had been asking for a chair for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who had reportedly been standing for some time.

Rahul Gandhi also addressed Wednesday's CWC meeting, focusing on party unity and the need to strengthen the organisation.