Congress urges allies to stick to two stanzas of Vande Mataram after NC stand
Congress asks allies to follow its two-stanza Vande Mataram position, citing pluralist ethos, after NC leaders stood through full version in Srinagar.
The Congress has formally appealed to its allies in the INDIA bloc to adhere to its longstanding position on the rendition of Vande Mataram, urging them to sing only the first two stanzas of the song. The request comes in the wake of a public display by National Conference leaders in Jammu and Kashmir, where they stood through a complete rendition of the national song.
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal made the appeal on Tuesday, stating that the full version of the song conflicts with the "syncretic and pluralist ethos" that the freedom movement sought to cultivate. He emphasized that the party continues to regard the judgment of several prominent freedom fighters on this matter as paramount.
In a post on social media, Venugopal listed Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Acharya Narendra Dev, Maulana Azad, Sarojini Naidu, and J.B. Kripalani as figures whose considered views guide the party's stance. He noted that their position was shaped significantly by the counsel of Rabindranath Tagore.
"With respect and humility, we would like our allies to honour the wisdom and judgment of our freedom fighters, and stand with us in singing only the version of this beautiful and historic song that they adopted," Venugopal said. He added that the chosen version was deliberately selected to prevent the song from being communalised, a threat he described as being as real today as it was then.
The appeal follows an incident at the inaugural International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar on Monday. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah remained standing through a full rendition of the song, which lasted over three minutes, at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre.
The National Conference is a constituent of the INDIA bloc, and the Congress extends support to the NC-led government in Jammu and Kashmir. The contrasting positions have highlighted a fresh divergence within the opposition alliance over the interpretation of the song.
The Congress Working Committee reiterated its position on August 19, reaffirming the party's 1937 resolution that only the first two stanzas should be sung at national gatherings. That decision was made following consultations with Tagore, who had advised on the song's first part, which invokes the beauty and abundance of the motherland. The song, while a significant symbol of the freedom movement, has long been a point of contention due to the religious imagery present in its later verses.