Srinagar: A political controversy over the rendition of the full version of Vande Mataram has intensified in Jammu and Kashmir, with the Congress, National Conference and BJP exchanging sharp attacks.
The dispute began after the complete national song was performed at an international film festival in Srinagar in the presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah.
Congress general secretary in charge of organisation KC Venugopal objected to the performance and urged alliance partners to support the party’s position of singing only the version adopted by the Congress. He argued that the complete song did not align with the pluralistic and inclusive vision associated with India’s freedom movement.
The National Conference, however, rejected the suggestion, making it clear that the Congress could not dictate how its alliance partners should approach the national song. NC leader Bashir Ahmed said decisions on whether and how much of the song should be sung should not be imposed on people.
The disagreement also triggered criticism within the broader INDIA alliance. Congress leader Kapil Singh accused the National Conference leadership of following the direction of the RSS instead of respecting the position taken by its alliance partner.
The BJP seized on the controversy to target the Congress. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused the party of increasingly adopting a position similar to that of the Muslim League and alleged that it had yielded to fundamentalist forces. BJP leader RS Pathania also questioned the Congress objection, pointing out that separatist groups in the Valley had not previously opposed the national song.
The controversy comes after the Congress Working Committee decided to follow a 1937 resolution and restrict performances of Vande Mataram at party events to two stanzas.
The Centre has separately directed that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram be played before Jana Gana Mana at government events, schools and official ceremonies, adding another dimension to the ongoing political debate.
