A recent event in Srinagar, attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, has ignited a political controversy. Congress has voiced strong objections to the full rendition of the national song Vande Mataram at the gathering. This disagreement has escalated into a significant political conflict, drawing attention to the sensitive nature of national symbols in the region.
Tagging the video of the full version of the song being sung at the event, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation, KC Venugopal, advised ally National Conference to stand with the party in sticking to the truncated version of the song. He added, “For us, the considered judgment of Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Acharya Narendra Dev, Maulana Azad, Sarojini Naidu and J B Kripalani – shaped in no small part by the counsel of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore – remains paramount. The Congress doubled down on its attack on the alliance partner, asking it not to bow down to Nagpur (read RSS) diktat. “Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah are part of INDIA alliance. The BJP meanwhile hit out at the Congress for its objection to the full Vande Mataram . The Congress decision came after the BJP accused its leaders of insulting Vande Mataram by not singing the full version at party events.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) last month decided to abide by the 1937 resolution of its highest decision-making body on Vande Mataram, saying only two stanzas of the National Song would be sung at all party events henceforth.
“The full version of Vande Mataram sits uneasily with the syncretic and pluralist ethos that our freedom fighters envisioned and nurtured for India,” he posted on X. The Congress leader urged its allies to honour the wisdom and judgment of the freedom fighters, and stand with the party in singing only the version of the “beautiful and historic song” that it adopted. Being an alliance partner, they should respect Congress decision and not Nagpur (RSS) decision,” Congress leader Kapil Singh said. BJP MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the party’s objection to singing the full version left no doubt that it had become a new Muslim League of the 21st century. The Congress stands “completely isolated” on this issue, Trivedi said. “This makes it clear that the ‘dimmagi Naxal’ Congress has now transformed into a ‘Muslim League Congress and has completely surrendered to fundamentalist forces,” the BJP Rajya Sabha MP said.
The Centre earlier this year mandated that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram must be played before Jana Gana Mana at all government events, schools, and official ceremonies.
