09/09/2026
PRESS RELEASE
Vande Mataram is the Voice of India’s Freedom Struggle: Pathania Questions Congress Objections.
Jammu: MLA Udhampur East R.S. Pathania strongly questioned the Congress over the objection raised by its General Secretary (Organisation), K.C. Venugopal, to the playing of the full Vande Mataram at the International Film Festival in Kashmir.
Pathania said Vande Mataram is not merely a song—it is a historic expression of India’s freedom struggle and national consciousness. First sung at the 1896 Congress session in Calcutta by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, it became a rallying cry during the Swadeshi movement and inspired generations of freedom fighters.
“From Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Vande Mataram occupied a revered place in the national movement. Netaji’s Congress leadership at Haripura and the wider freedom struggle were deeply connected with its patriotic spirit,” Pathania said.
He said that while the Congress Working Committee in 1937 decided to limit public rendition to the first two stanzas, while bowing down to fanatic stance of Muslim League. Gandhiji himself regarded it as an anti-imperialist cry and held the song in profound regard.
“Sadly, instead of standing firm against the communal and separatist politics of the Muslim League, Congress chose accommodation and compromise. History must ask whether the politics of appeasement ultimately weakened the very national unity for which the freedom movement fought,” Pathania asserted.
“Today, when an entire gathering in Kashmir rises respectfully for Vande Mataram, Congress should celebrate that moment of national integration—not find fault with it. Vande Mataram belongs to every Indian.”
