Bengaluru: The political fight over Vande Mataram has taken a sharper turn in Karnataka, with Home Minister Priyank Kharge challenging BJP leaders B.Y. Vijayendra and R. Ashoka to sing the full song without looking at a paper or teleprompter.
Kharge said he would resign if the BJP leaders managed to do it.
The challenge comes days after the Karnataka government ordered that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung at most state government programmes. The rule does not apply to events attended by the President, Vice President, Prime Minister or Governor.
Why Is Vande Mataram Causing A Row?
The Karnataka government’s decision has drawn strong criticism from the BJP, which has demanded that the complete version of the national song be sung.
Kharge, however, has defended the state’s position and referred to the Congress’s historical stand on the song. The Congress Working Committee reaffirmed on August 19 that the party would continue with the first two stanzas at its events, citing the resolution adopted by the party in 1937.
The Centre’s position is different. The Union Home Ministry issued instructions this year concerning the official version of Vande Mataram and said that when the National Song and National Anthem are performed together, the National Song is to precede the anthem. The ministry’s July 9 communication was also cited in the latest Karnataka court petition.
Matter Now In Karnataka High Court
The political dispute has now moved to court.
On September 15, advocate Girish Bharadwaj filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Karnataka High Court challenging the state’s September 8 order. The petition argues that the Karnataka government cannot decide which part of a national song should constitute its official rendition and claims the state order conflicts with the Centre’s instructions.
The petition could now make the court the next major battleground in the dispute.
For the moment, however, the political exchange continues, with Kharge’s resignation challenge adding a new twist to an argument that has already brought the Congress, BJP, Karnataka government and Centre into a wider debate over how Vande Mataram should be sung at official events.
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