The Ruling National Conference (NC) and its ally the Congress traded barbs on Wednesday over the NC leadership’s decision to stand for all stanzas of the national song, Vande Mataram, after it was played at the inauguration of the International Film Festival Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK) in Srinagar on September 7.
J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra, in a post on X, questioned Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah’s decision to stand for all stanzas of the song. “National symbols, songs and traditions occupy a special place in the heart of every Indian. Their true strength lies in their ability to bind together a nation as diverse as ours. Karra. Mr. Karra’s post followed a social media statement by Congress General Secretary K. C. Venugopal, who posted the video of the Srinagar ceremony in which NC leaders stood for all the stanzas. “The full version of Vande Mataram sits uneasily with the syncretic and pluralist ethos that our freedom fighters envisioned and nurtured for India. 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. Venugopal. Upholding it is how we uphold the secular, inclusive character of our Republic. The Congress posts on social media platforms drew a sharp reaction from NC leaders. NC legislator Tanvir Sadiq shared videos of swearing-in ceremonies involving a Congress chief minister and asked Mr. Karra to comment. Referring to videos from the Congress-ruled states of Karnataka and Telangana, Mr. However, we do not want to make this a controversy. We are not here to fight the Congress.”
It is therefore a matter of concern that our alliance partners chose to sing the full version of Vande Mataram, disregarding the considered evolution of the song’s place in India’s national life, not merely during the freedom movement, but through the constitutional journey of the Republic thereafter.
The adopted version represented a conscious balance preserving the historic … ,” said Mr. Kripalani — shaped in no small part by the counsel of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore — remains paramount,” said Mr. In the post, the Congress leader said, “With respect and humility, we would like our allies to honour the wisdom and judgment of our freedom fighters and stand with us in singing only the version of this beautiful and historic song that they adopted. Dar said, “The chief ministers stand for all the six stanzas.
That version was chosen deliberately, to keep the song from being communalised — a threat as real today as it was then.
