‘Extreme appeasement’: Shah tears into Congress over Vande Mataram

The Vande Mataram row intensifies as Amit Shah criticises the Congress Working Committee for retaining its 1937 position on the national song

PGurus Newsdesk

August 20, 2026

Shah vs Congress: Vande Mataram sparks fresh political clash

The Home Minister accused Congress of reviving its “extreme policy of appeasement” after the CWC retained its decision to sing only two stanzas of Vande Mataram

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched a fresh attack on the Congress over its decision to continue singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at party events, accusing the opposition party of reviving what he called its “extreme policy of appeasement”.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) reaffirmed its longstanding position on Wednesday, citing a 1937 party resolution that had restricted the rendition to the opening two stanzas. The decision comes as the Centre pushes the full version of the national song at official functions.

Shah described the Congress decision as more than a symbolic disagreement. He argued that the party was repeating what he called a historic mistake, linking the 1937 resolution to Muslim appeasement and subsequently to the circumstances that led to Partition.

The Home Minister said the Narendra Modi government had sought to correct that “historical mistake” by promoting the complete rendition of Vande Mataram during its 150th anniversary year. He accused Congress of choosing its old party resolution over the government’s current protocol.

Shah also appealed to people to oppose the Congress position, saying the party’s decision under Rahul Gandhi‘s leadership demonstrated that it was again pursuing vote-bank politics.

The controversy is part of a wider political battle over Vande Mataram, which has intensified following the Centre’s move to give the song greater prominence at official events. The Congress, meanwhile, has defended its position by pointing to the historical resolution adopted by its leadership.

The BJP has continued to target Congress over the issue. BJP president Nitin Nabin accused the party of institutionalising what he described as disrespect toward the national song.

The latest clash has therefore turned the rendition of Vande Mataram into another major political flashpoint, with the BJP framing the Congress decision as appeasement and Congress maintaining its historical position on the song.

For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.