Politics
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Vande Mataram row returns on 150th year
NDTV··23 Aug
In August 2026, the Congress Working Committee restated that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram will be sung at party events, citing its 1937 resolution. The Union government is marking the song's 150th year and has notified that all six stanzas be used at official functions. Parliament in July extended statutory protection to the National Song.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you attend a Congress programme, the party's stated practice after 19 August is the first two stanzas, as restated by the Working Committee.
- Anyone at a Union or state official function should note the Home Ministry protocol asks for all six stanzas, before Jana Gana Mana.
- If you work in a school covered by the new guidelines, the day is meant to begin with collective singing of the notified official version.
What's Happening
- The latest row followed Independence Day footage from the AICC headquarters, after which the Working Committee met on 19 August and restated the 1937 limit.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened a year-long commemoration on 7 November 2025; both Houses held special discussions in December.
- BJP leaders have treated the two-stanza practice as a breach of the new honour law; Congress says the 1937 text was settled by freedom-movement leaders.
How Six Stanzas Became A Two-Track Practice
- The later stanzas use Hindu goddess imagery, which is why some groups have long limited public singing to the opening verses.
- The 1971 honour law first covered the National Anthem and the Flag; the National Song was added in the 2026 amendment.
- The official sung duration notified for the six-stanza version is about 3 minutes and 10 seconds.
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