Vande Mataram Row: Congress CWC To Discuss Party’s Stance On National Song

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, ANI reported. On Tuesday, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi attended the meet of district presidents of AICC OBC Department at the Congress HQ in Delhi, according to ANI. The meeting takes place as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) escalates its attacks on the Congress over the rendition of Vande Mataram. The controversy began following an Independence Day event at the All India Congress Committee headquarters and a subsequent event in Goa.

The Congress leadership has decided that its official programmes will feature only the first two stanzas of the national song. The issue has generated internal debate. A section of the party feels the leadership must tread carefully on matters with nationalistic overtones. The issue is likely to surface during the CWC meeting, although it is not officially on the agenda.

Debate Over National Song

The Congress relies on a 1937 CWC resolution to defend its stance. The party points out that leaders of the freedom movement, including Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, backed limiting public rendition to the first two stanzas. This decision was made to avoid verses containing specific religious imagery.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge defended the practice on Tuesday. He said that the party is continuing a 90-year tradition.

"I sang the same Vande Mataram that Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru sang... If this is a crime, then file a case against Gandhiji, Nehruji and Vallabhbhai Patel," Kharge told ANI.

He added that the Congress had passed a resolution determining national songs long before current leaders were born. He argued that national standards should not change merely because a new government assumes power.

Karnataka Congress chief B K Hariprasad confirmed the state unit will only sing the first two stanzas of the song at its programmes. Hariprasad told The Indian Express that this aligns with existing practice.

The current dispute follows recent legislative action. Parliament passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, during the recently concluded Monsoon Session. The legislation criminalises attempts to stop or prevent the singing of Vande Mataram.

Strategy On Key Issues

The Congress plans to use the CWC meeting to strategise against the government on multiple fronts. The party seeks to target the administration on student unrest and the alleged theft of Ram temple donations. It will also raise questions on ethanol blending and fresh reports of border tensions with China in Arunachal Pradesh.

The meeting follows recent student protests at Jantar Mantar. The unrest led Dharmendra Pradhan to resign as Union Education Minister.

While the party has decided to keep its distance from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the leadership wants to link the ongoing student unrest to the larger issue of job creation. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to interact with students in Pune on August 22.