'Sits uneasily with plural ethos': Congress-NC rift deepens in J&K over Vande Mataram as Omar Abdullah stands for all six stanzas
A major political storm has hit the INDIA alliance in J&K as Congress and National Conference clash over singing the full version of Vande Mataram. Read the full details.
by Syed Khalid Hussain · Zee NewsA political storm erupted in Jammu and Kashmir between the Congress and its alliance partner, the National Conference (NC), over the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at a government function. The dispute has drawn sharp reactions from the BJP and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), turning a symbolic national song into a flashpoint over patriotism, secularism, constitutional obligations and political consistency.
Congress questions singing of full Vande Mataram
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal criticised the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram, arguing that it does not fit with India's plural and secular traditions.
Venugopal wrote that the full version “sits uneasily with the syncretic and pluralist ethos that our freedom fighters envisioned and nurtured for India.”
He referred to the views of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Acharya Narendra Dev, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sarojini Naidu and J.B. Kripalani, as well as the counsel of Rabindranath Tagore.
Venugopal said the shorter version used during the freedom movement had been chosen to avoid communal tensions. He described the threat of communalisation as “as real today as it was then.”
He also appealed to Congress allies “with respect and humility” to follow the version adopted during the freedom movement and protect what he described as the secular and inclusive character of the Republic.
J&K Congress backs party position
Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra also raised concerns over the full version of the song.
Karra said national symbols, songs and traditions hold an important place in the country because they can bring together people from different backgrounds. He said it was “a matter of concern” that alliance partners had chosen to sing the full version.
He said the decision ignored “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.”
Karra argued that the adopted version tried to balance the historical importance of the song with India's plural character and the constitutional guarantee of freedom of conscience.
“National symbols acquire greater dignity when they accommodate India’s diversity, not when that diversity is asked to accommodate them,” Karra wrote. “This is not about patriotism. It is about the constitutional temperament with which patriotism in a diverse republic deserves to be expressed. Our national symbols should make every Indian feel equally at home.”
National Conference rejects Congress criticism
The National Conference rejected the Congress criticism and said its position as a political party had not changed.
NC chief spokesman Tanvir Sadiq said the party had neither signed on to nor adopted either the two-stanza or six-stanza version of the song.
Tanvir Said, “As far as the party’s own role is concerned, our stated position is there, Whoever wants to sing it should sing it, whoever does not want to sing it, nothing should be forced upon them.” “Once Parliament passes legislation, it becomes a statutory obligation that all government functions must respect. At official events, therefore, the full version is performed as required by law.
He also questioned why the Congress was raising the issue against the NC in Jammu and Kashmir while, according to him, Congress chief ministers in other states had taken part in similar events.
Questioning why the issue was being raised selectively against the NC in Jammu and Kashmir what when congress CM stand. There should be no controversy in this. The first question should be then asked of their own Chief Ministers who sang the entire song which I tweeted earlier and I would like to ask with great respect why this issue was not raised back then when Congress Chief Ministers were in other states. It was simply a matter of their view, and we have cleared that up today.”
BJP calls NC stance a setback for Congress
The BJP welcomed the National Conference's position. Party spokesperson Altaf Thakur said the decision by NC leaders, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah, to stand through the stanzas and take their oaths sent a strong political message.
Thakur described it as “a slap on Congress their INDIA bloc ally”.
Thakur said “Anti-Indian policies will not work in Jammu and Kashmir; NC’s action portrays as Congress’s historical discomfort with certain national symbols and institutions. Thakur stated that this sent a strong message and slapped Congress their I.N.D.I. block ally by showing that anti-Indian policies will not work in Jammu and Kashmir, contrasting Congress's historical stance on national institutions.”
PDP shifts focus to constitutional freedom
The PDP took a different position and focused on individual choice and constitutional rights.
Party chief spokesperson Syed Tajamul Islam said the Constitution protects freedom of religion and freedom of conscience in such matters. He said he did not see coercion in the present case.
“Vande Mataram means you are a resident of this country, and you fulfil the rights of being a resident,”
Syed Tajamul Said “Standing or sitting during the song does not determine whether someone is a nationalist or anti-national, a friend or enemy of the country. A party in power wants to prove through this that whoever stands is a nationalist and loyal to the country, and whoever doesn’t stand cannot be with us. This yardstick is very dangerous. Jammu and Kashmir routinely stand out of respect at official functions, The Constitution, leaves room for individual choice.
Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah stand during all six stanzas
The dispute gained added political weight after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and NC president Farooq Abdullah were seen standing during all six stanzas of Vande Mataram at the Chief Justice's swearing-in ceremony.
The development came despite the Congress criticism of the full version and its concerns over the participation of its alliance partners.
Vande Mataram row exposes INDIA bloc differences
The dispute has exposed a wider difference between the Congress and National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir. Congress has framed the issue around India's plural and secular traditions and the historical choice of a shorter version of the song.
The National Conference, meanwhile, has drawn a distinction between its political position and the duties of government at official events.
The BJP has used the disagreement to attack the INDIA bloc and portray the NC's participation as a setback for Congress. The PDP has tried to move the debate away from competing claims of patriotism and towards constitutional freedom of conscience.
At its core, the dispute is not only about the number of stanzas in Vande Mataram. It also reflects a wider debate over how national symbols should be understood and observed in a diverse democracy.
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