Congress only sings party song, says Kiren Rijiju on Vande Mataram row

Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday took a dig at the Congress over the Vande Mataram controversy, saying the party used to sing the national song in full but now only sings its party song. The remark came as the Congress, at an event in Goa attended by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, sang only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram.

NDTV reports Rijiju's jibe amid a political dispute over a recently passed law that gives Vande Mataram status on par with the national anthem and mandates its full rendition. India Today reports that the Congress decision to restrict the rendition to two stanzas is based on a 1937 resolution following Rabindranath Tagore's recommendation, which cited religious imagery in later verses. The Congress is expected to maintain this position at future events.

Earlier, BJP Yuva Morcha workers attempted to stop Kharge's convoy in Goa, accusing the Congress of disrespecting the national song on August 15. The controversy began on Independence Day when Sonia Gandhi was seen gesturing as the rendition continued beyond the second stanza at the Congress headquarters. The Congress denied she objected to the full version.