Union Home Minister Amit Shah condemned the Congress Working Committee's decision to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram.
Speaking at the Southern Zonal Council meet in Chengalpattu, Shah termed the Congress party's move as "anti-national".
Shah stated that the decision violates a parliamentary law mandating the rendition of the full national song.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) decided on Wednesday to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at its programmes. Union Home Minister Amit Shah strongly criticised the move on Thursday, ANI reported.
Speaking at the Southern Zonal Council meet in Chengalpattu, Shah described the decision as "anti-national".
Shah told ANI, "The Congress Working Committee has taken an astonishing and anti-national decision."
The home minister said the move violates a parliamentary law mandating the rendition of the full national song.
The Partition Legacy
The conflict carries historical weight. Shah linked the current stance to a 1937 Congress resolution that divided the national song.
Shah told ANI that the Congress, "...for the sake of Muslim appeasement, laid the foundation for the partition of the country by breaking Vande Mataram into two parts." The Narendra Modi government later gave legal form to singing the entire song at government functions during its 150th anniversary year.
Shah told ANI, "Today, the Congress is accepting its party resolution of 1937 and rejecting the Act of Parliament."
He appealed to the public to raise their voices. The BJP will oppose the decision in public and legislative assemblies, Shah added.
New Muslim League
Other leaders joined the attack. BJP President Nitin Nabin wrote on X that the Congress formalised its "insult" into a resolution.
The dispute follows a recent Independence Day controversy. The BJP claimed Sonia attempted to halt the full rendition of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters.
Nabin said, "The Congress has now become the new Muslim League of today."
