Congress Working Committee resolves to stick to two-stanza Vande Mataram recital at party events

New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Wednesday resolved to continue with the tradition, as set by a 1937 CWC decision, of reciting only the first two stanzas of the national song 'Vande Mataram' at party programmes. The decision comes in the wake of the Centre recently making the full recital of the song part of the official protocol.

Tapping into protests over paper leaks, the CWC also extended the party's ongoing "Chhatron ki Goonj" (voice of students) outreach to over 700 small and medium-sized cities, some of which Rahul Gandhi will address, with Pune being the next venue. The CWC also asked the four Congress chief ministers to prepare, within a month, a blueprint for restructuring the education system in their states, including reforms to the examination system.

The party decided to hold a nationwide protest against the alleged "Chanda Chori" (donation theft) at the Ayodhya Ram temple. While reiterating its opposition to the Centre's delimitation bill, the CWC endorsed as its own position the recent Tamil Nadu government's resolution seeking another 25-year freeze on the current Lok Sabha strength of 543 seats, with one-third reservation for women.


The CWC also accused the Centre of compromising national security in the face of alleged Chinese obstruction of Indian patrolling in Arunachal Pradesh. The meeting reiterated opposition to the census format not including specific queries about OBCs categories.

Vande Mataram stand: It is learnt that as discussions began after party president Mallikarjun Kharge's opening statement, senior leader Anand Sharma intervened and said the meeting should make its stand clear on 'Vande Mataram' in line with the 1937 CWC resolution, limiting its recital to the first two stanzas. When Kharge said he had clarified the position a day earlier at a function in Goa, Sharma urged him to do it formally at the meeting. Kharge then detailed the position.

Later, at a press conference, AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said the Congress stand on 'Vande Mataram' was clear and that the party would abide by the 1937 CWC decision, taken by stalwarts, including Gandhiji, Nehruji, Sardar Patelji, and Bose ji, on singing its two stanzas. He said the song and the national anthem were "emotional matters" for Congress, but "political issues" for BJP

'Modi weakened': At the meeting, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are learnt to have said that PM Narendra Modi is now on a "weak" standing. Gandhi reportesdly termed Modi's latest I-Day address lacklustre and claimed that the RSS-BJP would now be looking for his replacement.

Kharge, sources added, also said that Modi had become politically "perishable".