Vande Mataram In Full At India-Afghanistan T20I, A First; Congress Questions Move

For the first time at an international sporting event, all six stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram were played before the start of India's first T20 International against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.

News agency PTI, quoting Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sources, reported that Vande Mataram will henceforth be played before the first match of every home series.

The rendition has drawn a fresh objection from the principal Opposition party, the Congress, which has opposed the playing of all six stanzas. Party leader Udit Raj questioned the purpose of the decision. "What is the point of this without any reason? Will it create employment? Will it make the Indian team stronger? Or will it help us gain an advantage in science and technology, where we are far behind? Our exports are down, and the debt of this country is increasing so much. What about the problems of Gen Z? There are severe problems. Will this solve them? They are only trying to create a narrative," he said.

The Congress recently passed a resolution at its Working Committee meeting to restrict the singing at party events to the two-stanza version, citing its own 1937 resolution. The first two stanzas were chosen as the national song by the Indian National Congress in 1937, and the Constituent Assembly recognised Vande Mataram as the National Song in 1950.

In February this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines governing the rendition of Vande Mataram as part of the 150th-anniversary commemorations of the national song. The guidelines prescribe an official rendition lasting three minutes and 10 seconds, and require everyone present to stand at attention while it is played.

They also approve the complete six-stanza version at formal government functions attended by the President or Governors, before and after presidential addresses broadcast on radio and television, when the National Flag is brought on parade, and on other similar occasions.

The song, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and published in his novel Anandamath in 1882, is distinct from the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. Its later stanzas describe the motherland in imagery drawn from Hindu tradition, a point that has featured in past debates over which version should be sung at public events. The party's stated position rests on its 1937 resolution.

The Congress has also been at odds with its Jammu and Kashmir ally, the National Conference, after the full Vande Mataram was played at a film festival in Srinagar attended by Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has criticised the Congress' opposition to the full version, describing it as a reflection of appeasement politics and a "Muslim League mindset". The Congress has defended its position by pointing to its 1937 resolution.

On the field, the occasion was followed by a commanding Indian performance. Abhishek Sharma smashed 82 as India thrashed Afghanistan in the first T20I.