BJP launches nationwide Vande Mataram campaign, citing Gandhi against Congress
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday announced a month-long nationwide campaign centred on the national song 'Vande Mataram', invoking Mahatma Gandhi's remarks to counter criticism from the Congress and other opposition parties. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party's new office-bearers, chaired by party president Nitin Nabin.
The campaign, scheduled to begin on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on September 17, will focus on the song's association with India's freedom struggle and what the BJP describes as attempts to truncate it under 'communal pressure'. The party has framed the campaign as a defence of the song's full version, which was recently restored for official events, and a rebuke to those opposing it.
In a four-page resolution adopted at the meeting, the BJP accused the Congress of 'bowing before the same politics of appeasement' that led it to accept a truncated version of the song in 1937. The resolution cited Mahatma Gandhi's 1939 comments: "I associated the purest national spirit with it (Vande Mataram). It never occurred to me that it was a Hindu song or meant only for Hindus. Unfortunately, now we have fallen on evil days."
The BJP also referenced C. Rajagopalachari and other stalwarts to argue that the full version of the song enjoys historical and patriotic legitimacy. The party alleged that the current protests against the national song stem from 'narrow vote-bank considerations' and are part of a pattern of yielding to communal demands, similar to the pressure exerted by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League in the 1930s.
Congress, however, has maintained that it will adhere to its 1937 resolution, which adopted only the first two stanzas of the song. That decision was taken when the Congress-led provincial governments used the song as a national anthem, and the truncated version was accepted to accommodate Muslim concerns at the time. The party has accused the BJP of politicising the issue for electoral gain.
The campaign comes amid a broader political contest, with opposition parties, including the Congress, seeking to mobilise young voters on issues such as unemployment and paper leaks. The BJP's campaign will include several youth-centric programmes, aiming to connect the song's legacy with the current generation. The annual 'sewa' (service) programme in September will also be expanded, as Prime Minister Modi completes 25 years as head of a government.
Addressing party workers, Modi said organisational meetings are about new ideas to strengthen the party and deepen its connection with people. The campaign is expected to include rallies, social media outreach, and events at educational institutions, though specific details have not been fully announced.
The dispute over Vande Mataram has deep historical roots. Written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s, the song became a rallying cry during the Swadeshi movement. In 1937, the Congress Working Committee adopted the first two stanzas as the national song, a decision criticised by some nationalist leaders who preferred the full version. The BJP has long called for restoring the full song in official settings.
While the BJP frames the campaign as a matter of national pride, critics argue it is an attempt to polarise society and distract from pressing governance issues. The coming weeks are likely to see intensified debate over the song's meaning and its place in India's public life.
