Amit Shah calls Congress's Vande Mataram move 'anti-national'; party cites 1937 resolution

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Congress, alleging that its decision to render only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at party functions was 'anti-national' and an act of appeasement. The Congress Working Committee had on Wednesday decided to restrict the rendition to the first two stanzas, citing a 1937 All India Congress Committee resolution.

In a statement to the media, Mr. Shah said the decision disrespected the national song's composer, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and insulted the martyrs who invoked Vande Mataram during the freedom struggle. He linked the decision to the 1937 resolution, arguing that such a stance had historically contributed to the country's Partition and the rise of the two-nation theory.

'I want to remind the entire country that in 1937, the Congress party, for the sake of Muslim appeasement, split Vande Mataram into two pieces, laying the foundation for the country's Partition, and from there, the two-nation theory gained strength. Ultimately, the country was partitioned, and Pakistan was born,' Mr. Shah said.

The Home Minister contrasted the Congress decision with the Narendra Modi government's initiative to sing the full version of the song at official programmes, a move he said was given legal backing and was aimed at strengthening national integration. 'The Congress chose to disregard this initiative, confirming its policy of appeasement. For the sake of vote banks, they have not only disrespected Bankim babu's immortal creation but also insulted those millions of martyrs who went to the gallows for the country's freedom while chanting the slogan of Vande Mataram,' he said.

Congress leaders have historically defended the 1937 resolution as a compromise necessary to respect the sentiments of all communities. The full version of Vande Mataram includes references to a goddess, which some Muslim organisations had objected to during the freedom movement. The first two stanzas, which do not contain such references, have been widely accepted and are traditionally sung at official functions. The Congress's decision to adhere to the 1937 resolution is seen by the party as a continuation of this inclusive approach.

Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Nabin also condemned the Congress decision, calling it an affront to the sacred invocation of 'Bharat Mata'. In a post on X, he said the Congress had become 'the new Muslim League of today' and was proof of the 'hunger for that vote bank before which the Congress has repeatedly pawned the nation's self-respect.'

Mr. Nabin appeared to reference a recent incident involving Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who was seen not joining the rendition of Vande Mataram at the party headquarters on August 15. The Congress had earlier dismissed that as a coincidence, but Mr. Nabin said the committee's decision had now made the 'insult' the party's official policy.

Political analysts note that the controversy is likely to intensify as elections approach, with both parties using national symbols to consolidate their support bases. The Congress has not yet responded to Mr. Shah's remarks, but its insistence on the 1937 resolution suggests a continued stand against what it views as majoritarian symbolism.