New Delhi: The full version of Vande Mataram was sung at the Independence Day celebrations held at the AICC headquarters here on Saturday, even as senior Congress leaders including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi intervened to limit the rendition to the first two verses, in line with the party’s long-standing position.
The Congress has historically maintained that only the first two stanzas of the national song need to be sung, citing concerns that some verses may not be acceptable or singable for all sections of society. However, at the AICC headquarters event, organised under the aegis of the Congress Seva Dal, the full song was rendered despite on-the-spot interventions by top leaders present on the dais.
The programme was conducted on a grand scale, with the Seva Dal responsible for the arrangements. As the full Vande Mataram began, senior leaders were seen signalling for a shorter version, but the singing continued. Among those present were Congress leader Ajay Maken, Seva Dal national president V.B. Srinivas, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi.
The incident assumes significance as it took place at the party’s own headquarters, directly contravening its stated position on the issue. During the freedom struggle, the Congress had advocated omitting certain verses of Vande Mataram, arguing that those lines should not be made compulsory as some communities found them objectionable.
Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there was no need to make a controversy out of the singing of Vande Mataram at the AICC headquarters. He stated that there was no problem if the full song was sung, noting that the issue had been discussed in Parliament. When asked whether the full version would continue to be sung in future, he did not respond.
Ramesh also clarified that no one had attempted to stop the singing of Vande Mataram. He explained that Sonia Gandhi’s gesture during the event was to arrange a chair for the party president, who had been standing for a long time, and not to curtail the song.