New Delhi [India], August 22 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi posed for a group photograph with the newly appointed BJP national office-bearers at the party headquarters in New Delhi, shortly after a meeting where the party passed a resolution on the honour and historic legacy of 'Vande Mataram'.
PM Modi arrived at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters on Saturday evening as the party announced a nationwide campaign to raise awareness about the history and significance of the National Song.
The BJP passed a major resolution strongly condemning the Congress Working Committee's decision to re-adopt its 1937 resolution restricting the singing of 'Vande Mataram' at Congress programmes to its first two stanzas.
The BJP said it regards 'Vande Mataram' as India's National Song, an expression of reverence for Bharat Mata, a mantra of the freedom struggle and an enduring symbol of India's national consciousness.
In its resolution, the party said it would strongly oppose the Congress decision to limit the National Song to two stanzas and would protect the honour, dignity and legacy of its full six-stanza version.
The BJP also said it would reaffirm the 1950 Constituent Assembly declaration and the law passed by Parliament in 2026 granting statutory protection to the National Song at par with 'Jana Gana Mana'.
The resolution said the Congress Working Committee's decision cannot override the Constitution or Parliament's law, and that the political compromise of 1937 cannot supersede the constitutional decision of 1950 and the 2026 legislation.
The BJP said its nationwide campaign would highlight the historical context surrounding 'Vande Mataram', including its role in the freedom movement. A special awareness drive among youth will also be organised to ensure that future generations understand the song's connection with India's freedom struggle and sacrifice.
The party said it would oppose any attempt to make the National Song subservient to communal pressure, appeasement or vote-bank politics.
The BJP resolution also cited Mahatma Gandhi's description of 'Vande Mataram' as an "anti-imperialist slogan" linked to the "purest national sentiment".
The Congress Working Committee had earlier decided that only the first two stanzas of 'Vande Mataram' would be sung at party events, citing its 1937 resolution.
Congress MP KC Venugopal had said the party's position was clear and that it would follow the decisions taken by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1937.
The BJP has maintained that the issue concerns the honour of the National Song and the legacy of those who contributed to India's freedom struggle. (ANI)
PM Modi poses for group photo with new BJP national office-bearers at party HQ after 'Vande Mataram' resolution
