Congress clarifies stance on Vande Mataram verses in assemblies versus party events

Gandhinagar – On Thursday, Tushar Chaudhary, head of the Gujarat Congress legislative party, clarified the organization’s policy on singing "Vande Mataram" in different settings. He said the party’s official program calls for the traditional two verses, a practice that has been unchanged since 1937.

Chaudhary explained that recent legislation allows the full song to be played in Parliament, but the Congress continues to limit its own events to the historic portions. "We respect the law, but our internal guidelines remain focused on the verses that have been part of our heritage for decades," he said.

Regarding the incident involving MLA Imran Khedavala, Chaudhary said the MLA’s decision to sit was a personal mistake, not a party directive. Khedavala, who later expressed regret, claimed he sat only when extra lines beyond the original two were introduced.

The leader concluded by reiterating that the Congress will not adopt a different approach in state assemblies, the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha, or any governmental function, reserving the full‑song practice exclusively for official parliamentary proceedings.