Call it irony or bitter truth, but history does not always repeat itself; perhaps, sometimes, it completes a full circle and returns to the very place from where it began. Something similar seems to be happening in the history of the Congress over Vande Mataram, a powerful symbol of Bharat’s national spirit.
In 1923, the Indian National Congress held its session at Kakinada. The president was Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar. At the inaugural ceremony, when the great singer Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar rose to present Vande Mataram, Maulana Sahib objected. His argument was that Islam did not permit music and that it hurt religious sentiments. But standing before him was Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. He must have thought: since when did one need permission to sing the national song at a national session?
He stated clearly that this was neither a mosque nor a religious place, but an open national platform of the Congress. The matter did not end there. He also posed a question whose answer may perhaps still be waiting somewhere in the files of history: If music hurt religious sentiments, then under which religious rule was the band playing in welcome to Maulana Sahib?
Vande Mataram and Tiranga: Two symbols, one national spirit
The commemoration of 150 years of Vande Mataram has added a special historical and emotional dimension to this year’s celebrations. For generations of Bharatiyas, Vande Mataram has been a source of courage and inspiration. The National Flag, too, became the symbol under which Bharatiya came together in the long journey towards freedom and, after Independence, emerged as a powerful expression of the nation’s sovereignty and unity.
Bringing the two together creates a natural connection between India’s past and its future—the sacrifices and dreams of those who fought for freedom, and the resolve of today’s India to build a stronger, more prosperous and Viksit Bharat.
A celebration shaped by people
One of the most striking features of this year’s celebrations has been the sheer variety of ways in which people have participated. Citizens have come together for mass singing of Vande Mataram, Tiranga Yatras, competitions, cultural programmes and community gatherings. Schools and colleges have encouraged young people to learn about the National Flag and Vande Mataram. Communities have used music, art, rangolis and local traditions to express what the Tiranga means to them. Accorsing to the Government, as in previous years, the popular selfie with Tiranga has witnessed a stupendous response. More than 8.24 crore Tiranga selfies have already been uploaded, turning millions of individual moments of pride into a remarkable collective expression of national spirit. This year the selfie download also carries the lyrics and tune of Vande Mataram.
That was the moment when the national spirit and appeasement stood face to face. Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar had his objection, and Paluskar Ji had his national spirit. Paluskar Ji did not yield. With complete confidence and fervour, he sang Vande Mataram. The opposition became so intense that the president, angered by the incident, walked off the stage. History perhaps wrote down a small question that day: Should even the veneration of the nation be dependent on someone’s religious permission?
1.41 crore children across more than 1.32 lakh Parishadiya Vidyalayas and KGBVs in Uttar Pradesh celebrated Independence Day
More than 8.24 crore Tiranga selfies uploaded by citizens, paying tribute to 150 years of Vande Mataram
The Rampur Raza Library with a historically Islamic and Urdu-Persian cultural heritage, organised its 80th Independence Day programme on 15 August 2026 with flag hoisting and group singing of Vande Mataram
Vidyashilp Academy, Bengaluru (Karnataka) – Over 6,000 voices: 4,000+ students, 800 faculty/staff, and 1,500+ parents sang Vande Mataram together on August 14-15, 2026
Time passed. The Empire departed. The country became independent. The Constitution was adopted. Generations changed. Yet it seems some questions have extraordinarily long lives.
Master Krishnarao) was first played as the national anthem of pre-independence India at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
In 2026, on the occasion of independent Bharat’s 80th Independence Day, the controversy over Vande Mataram at the Congress office made it seem as though history had suddenly turned the pages of the calendar and gone straight back to 1923. Then, the Congress president who objected to the national song was Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar. And today, according to reports, the name of Sonia Gandhi has emerged within the top leadership tradition of the same Congress.
Insulting National Song
In the video, the top Congress leaders appear perfectly composed during the first stanza of the National Song. But the moment the second stanza begins, the mood shifts. Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge grow visibly restless. Their eyes dart towards the backstage, silently signalling the organisers to stop Vande Mataram. When the organisers fail to notice and the song continues, Sonia Gandhi escalates — raising her hand in a clear, urgent gesture, demanding that the National Song be halted at once.
In other words, the place changed, generations changed, power changed, the country became independent, but somewhere, the tone of objection to Vande Mataram remained the same. What an irony of history! In a country where Vande Mataram once became a mantra for freedom fighters in the struggle against foreign rule, today there appears to be concern over deciding how much of the national song should be sung and how much should not — lest someone’s sentiments be hurt!
When National Spirit Meets Vote-Bank Politics
It is said that during the freedom struggle, owing to religious objections, a tradition emerged of singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram. And today the question arises: will the same mindset continue even in independent Bharat?
CWC decides to sing only two stanzas
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has announced that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram will be sung at party programmes, amid BJP attacks over the National Song’s rendition at its Independence Day programme and later at an event in Goa. The Congress’s highest decision-making body cited a 1937 CWC resolution to back its stand
Yesterday, the question was — “What will they say?” Today, the question remains the same. Yesterday, the British stood before us. Today, the British are no longer here. But vote-bank politics has perhaps created a new, invisible “Sahib” — “What will the votes say?” And that is the greatest irony of this entire episode.
The song that awakened self-respect among millions of Bharatiyas during the struggle for freedom is today facing concerns over whether its complete form should be sung, as though the scissors of politics must be applied to it. On one side is the narrow-mindedness of fundamentalists; on the other is the so-called secular politics that allegedly seeks to appease that narrow-mindedness for political gain. Caught between the two is Bharat’s natural national spirit.
When opposition openly insulted National song
It is not the first time that opposition parties have insulted Vande Mataram. There have been several incidents in the past in which the song Vande Mataram has been disrespected, interrupted, refused, or opposed by opposition parties like the Indian National Congress (INC), Samajwadi Party (SP), RJD, National Conference, etc.
Vande Mataram was allegedly stopped after only one line
In April 2018, at a Congress rally, Vande Mataram was cut short after Rahul Gandhi pointed to his watch and signalled K.C. Venugopal. Venugopal then reportedly instructed the organisers and the singer to finish the song Vande Mataram in a single line due to time constraints.
SP’s Barq refused tosing Vande Mataram
In June 2019, Samajwadi Party lawmaker Shafiqur Rahman Barq refused to chant Vande Mataram, saying “It’s against Islam.” After taking the oath, Mr Barq, who represents Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal constituency in the Parliament, said, “Jahan tak Vande Mataram ka taaluq hai, it is against Islam; we cannot follow it (as far as Vande Mataram is concerned, it is against Islam, we cannot follow it.”
Bhopal Congress MLA refused to sing Vande Mataram
In 2019, the Bhopal Central MLA Arif Masood, belonging to the Congress party, declined to recite Vande Mataram during a public event in Sehore district, stating that his religious beliefs under Shariat law did not permit him to sing it, though he maintained he was ready to serve the country otherwise. “Why should I sing (Vande Mataram). I follow Shariat, which does not permit this. I am ready to lay my life for the country, ready to go to the border. But they insist on singing Vande Mataram. Our army fights at the border, not leaders,” the Congress MLA was quoted as saying.
Siddaramaiah asked party workers not to sing Vande Mataram
On November 26, 2022, at a Constitution Day event at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office in Bengaluru, INC’s Siddaramaiah initially told party workers that singing Vande Mataram was not required. The incident sparked massive outrage after the BJP slammed the leader for insulting the song. The leader then immediately corrected himself, stating they could sing it if they wished, and noted they were free to proceed. In November 2025, Samajwadi Party MP Ziaurrahman Barq echoed his late grandfather Shafiqur Rahman Barq’s stance, stating he has never sung Vande Mataram and refused to do so. He maintained that objecting to the song on religious grounds did not deserve to question his patriotism.
SP’s Ziaurrahman Barq said he would never sing Vande Mataram
The Samajwadi Party (SP) in November 2025 also strongly demanded the immediate withdrawal of UP Government directives making the singing of Vande Mataram compulsory in schools.
Also, recently, when the West Bengal Government led by the BJP made singing of Vande Mataram compulsory in schools, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and other Islamic bodies strongly objected and demanded immediate withdrawal of the decision.
RJD MLA from Thakurganj did not stand up as Vande Mataram was played at monsoon session
Multiple incidents involving legislators declining to stand or sing Vande Mataram in the Bihar Legislative Assembly have occurred. Incidents involving AIMIM state chief Akhtarul Iman in December 2021 and RJD MLA Saud Alam in July 2022 sparked political controversy when they abstained from participating during the national song’s rendition. In July 2022, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA from Thakurganj did not stand up as Vande Mataram played at the close of the monsoon session. He defended his actions outside the assembly by stating that India had not yet turned into a Hindu nation.
Refusal by two Indore Congress Councillors
In April 2026, two Congress women councillors in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Fauzia Sheikh Alim and Rubina Iqbal Khan, declined to sing the national song during a municipal corporation meeting, stating that their religious beliefs and personal faith did not permit it.
NC MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi declined to sing Vande Mataram
In December 2025, National Conference (NC) MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi declined to sing Vande Mataram during a parliamentary discussion in Lok Sabha, stating that certain verses conflict with his religious beliefs. His refusal caused immediate uproar, hooting, and heavy political debate over personal faith versus national symbols.
The country was partitioned in 1947. But if the tendency to keep weighing the national spirit on the scales of religion, caste and votes continues, then instead of disappearing, the lines of mental partition will only grow deeper. And at such a time, the memory of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar naturally comes to mind. How simple his question was — Is this a national platform or a religious platform? And how profound was its meaning!
Today, we once again need that same fearlessness — the fearlessness that does not seek permission while singing the national song, that does not weigh the national spirit in the arithmetic of vote-bank politics
Today, we once again need that same fearlessness — the fearlessness that does not seek permission while singing the national song, that does not weigh the national spirit in the arithmetic of vote-bank politics, and that has the courage to say — Venerating the motherland cannot be against any religion. Saluting Bharat Mata is not a question of a citizen’s religious identity; it is a question of their national spirit.
Paluskar Ji Lives On
Therefore, fervent nationalist Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar! At this strange turning point in history, you are deeply missed. Because then, too, you stood alone on the stage — and even today, there is a need for that same voice, a voice that can listen not to the convenience of the crowd, but to the voice of the nation’s conscience. The circle from 1923 to 2026 may have become a very long one, but the voice of Bharat’s national essence is far older and far more magnificent than that.
Paluskar Ji, in this sorrowful moment, there is comfort in just one thing. Despite the opposition, you did not stop singing Vande Mataram. Even today, an unnamed practitioner of the arts stood firm. Despite the organisers’ “Stop” signals, he rejected the command conveyed through their visibly unwell and uncomfortable body language and went on to sing the complete Vande Mataram. Salutations to those artists who deserve our appreciation! Salutations to Bharat’s artistic tradition, imbued with the national spirit!
Paluskar Ji, you are still alive! Vande Mataram!
