New Delhi, August 22, 2026:Former Union Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament Anurag Singh Thakur today welcomed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s resolution reaffirming the need to protect the honour, dignity and historic legacy of Vande Mataram. He strongly condemned the Congress Working Committee’s decision of August 19, 2026, to reaffirm its 1937 resolution restricting the singing of the National Song to only its first two stanzas.
Anurag Singh Thakur said that Vande Mataram is not merely a song, but an immortal expression of devotion to Bharat Mata, a mantra of India’s freedom struggle and a symbol of the nation’s collective consciousness. Its legacy cannot be reduced to the calculations of vote-bank politics or political appeasement.
“The Congress must remember that the freedom struggle and its symbols do not belong to any political party. They belong to the entire nation,” he said.
Anurag Thakur said that the political circumstances of 1937 cannot be placed above the constitutional and legislative position of independent India. He recalled that the Constituent Assembly recognised the special status and historic importance of Vande Mataram in 1950, while legislation enacted by Parliament in 2026 has provided statutory protection to the National Song alongside the National Anthem.
“No resolution of a political party’s Working Committee can stand above the constitutional institutions of the country and laws enacted by Parliament,” he said.
He added that any attempt to confine the historic legacy of Vande Mataram to a political compromise made before Independence is both historically misplaced and deeply unfortunate.
Anurag Thakur said that the BJP’s resolution rightly reminds the nation that Vande Mataram transcends political parties and electoral calculations. It is a matter of India’s national honour and is inseparably linked with the sacrifices of countless patriots who gave everything for the country’s independence.
He said that the British colonial regime itself recognised the power of Vande Mataram and sought to suppress its influence because it had awakened the spirit of resistance among Indians. Generations of freedom fighters embraced Vande Mataram as a mantra of freedom, sacrifice, courage and national pride.
The former Union Minister said that the Congress should reflect on the historical significance of Vande Mataram rather than seek to confine its legacy through a political resolution dating back to the pre-Independence era.
“The words Vande Mataram once awakened a nation and shook the foundations of an empire. The freedom struggle transformed these words into a symbol of courage, sacrifice and resistance. That legacy cannot be confined to the mathematics of today’s vote-bank politics,” he said.
He emphasised that the freedom struggle belongs to every Indian, and so does the national consciousness represented by Vande Mataram.
Anurag Thakur said that the BJP would take the history, meaning and national significance of Vande Mataram to every corner of the country, with particular emphasis on educating the younger generation about its role in inspiring India’s freedom movement and the sacrifices of countless patriots.
“We must ensure that our young generation understands why these words became so powerful that an empire was terrified of them. Preserving this history is not merely about remembering the past; it is about strengthening the national consciousness of future generations,” he said.
He further said that the spirit of Vande Mataram remains deeply connected with India’s journey from freedom to development.
“In 1947, the victory cry of India’s independence was Vande Mataram. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as India moves towards the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, the same spirit of national pride, unity, sacrifice and service will guide the nation’s journey,” he said.
He added that the proclamation of a developed India in 2047 would also carry forward the spirit of Vande Mataram.
“Vande Mataram is not merely a song; it is the voice of India’s freedom struggle, sacrifice and national consciousness. It is an inseparable part of the collective memory of our nation. There can be no compromise with the dignity and historic legacy of Vande Mataram,” Anurag Singh Thakur said.
