The Congress government in Karnataka has issued an order standardising the singing of the national song Vande Mataram at state government programmes and official functions, directing that only its first two stanzas be sung, as reported in NDTV.
The order, issued in Kannada, said the national song had played an important role in fostering nationalism, unity and patriotism during India’s freedom movement.
It referred to guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on the official version of Vande Mataram and its singing or playing at government and public functions. The Karnataka government said it considered it necessary to maintain uniformity, respect and proper protocol while deciding how the national song should be performed at various government programmes and ceremonies, depending on their nature and context.
The decision comes amid a wider political disagreement between the Congress and the BJP over the manner in which Vande Mataram should be sung at official and public events.
The Karnataka government’s move is in line with the Congress’s recent decision to retain its longstanding position that only the first two stanzas of the song should be sung at party events. The Congress Working Committee had last month decided to follow its 1937 resolution on the issue.
The decision also comes against the backdrop of the Centre’s move in February to make the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram mandatory at public gatherings and official events. Parliament had also passed a Bill providing for criminal action against those who disrupt or prevent the singing of the national song.
The Congress has maintained that its position is based on the decision taken by its leadership in 1937 in the presence of prominent leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had faced criticism in August after singing only part of Vande Mataram at an event in Goa. Responding to allegations that the Congress was appeasing Muslims, Kharge had said he had followed the version associated with Gandhi, Nehru, Patel and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He had also argued that if singing that version constituted a crime, cases would have to be registered against those leaders as well.
Vande Mataram was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and featured in his novel Anandamath. Rabindranath Tagore first sang the song publicly in 1896.
The song subsequently became a subject of political and religious controversy, with Muslim League leaders objecting to references to Hindu goddesses and arguing that the song was incompatible with Islam.
Against this backdrop, the Congress Working Committee decided in 1937 that only the first two stanzas would be sung, a position the party has continued to cite in its present-day stand on the national song.
Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
