New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has decided that the party will continue to follow its long-standing 1937 resolution on Vande Mataram and sing only the first two stanzas of the national song at party events.

The decision came after a CWC meeting lasting more than four hours, amid a fresh political row with the BJP over the Congress's refusal to sing the full version. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said the party's position was clear and consistent with the 1937 decision taken by its top leadership.

When asked whether only the first two stanzas would be sung at Congress events, Venugopal replied in the affirmative. He said the matter had already been clarified by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, and there was no ambiguity in the party's stand.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the 1937 resolution on Vande Mataram was taken after discussions involving senior leaders of the time, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel. He added that the Congress has always maintained that Jana Gana Mana is the national anthem, while Vande Mataram is the national song.

Ramesh also accused the BJP of raising the issue to divert attention from other matters, including youth unemployment, exam paper leaks, alleged corruption and foreign policy concerns.

The BJP strongly criticised the Congress decision, accusing the party of disrespecting the national song. BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress had damaged its claim of being the custodian of the freedom struggle by refusing to sing the full version.

Trivedi went further and called the Congress a “new Muslim League,” alleging that the party had repeated the same opposition to the full version that he associated with the Muslim League in the past. He also questioned the Congress's patriotism and accused it of placing itself above the Constitution and Parliament.

The BJP had earlier taken issue with Kharge for singing only an “incomplete” version of Vande Mataram at a public event in South Goa, which triggered the latest round of confrontation between the two parties.

As the row continues, both parties are seeking to frame the debate around history, nationalism and political intent, turning Vande Mataram into the latest flashpoint in their ongoing confrontation.