Vande Mataram row opens fresh differences between Congress and NC in J&K
Srinagar, Sep 9, KNT: A fresh political disagreement has emerged between the Congress and its ally, the National Conference, in Jammu and Kashmir over the rendition of the full version of Vande Mataram at the inaugural International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir at SKICC, Srinagar.
The complete six-stanza version of the national song was played at the September 7 opening ceremony in the presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and other leaders. The leaders stood during the rendition, which was followed by the national anthem.
The development drew a response from Congress general secretary (organization) K C Venugopal, who questioned the use of the complete version and urged alliance partners to follow the version adopted by the Congress in 1937, comprising the first two stanzas.
The Congress Working Committee had reaffirmed that position at its August 19 meeting, deciding that only the first two stanzas would be sung at party programmes.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra subsequently questioned the decision of the alliance partner to participate in the full rendition. In his post on X, Karra said national symbols, songs and traditions had a special place in the country and argued that their significance should reflect India’s diversity.
Responding to National Conference MLA Tanvir Sadiq, Karra said the advice from Congress general secretary (organization) K C Venugopal had been offered “respectfully and in good faith” and questioned why it had caused offence.
Karra also said the clips being cited in the debate predated the August 19 meeting of the Congress Working Committee and therefore did not establish a contradiction with the party’s subsequent decision. He further referred to a Kerala Independence Day event which, he said, had not been included in the criticism being levelled against the Congress position.
Sadiq had responded to Karra by sharing videos of events in Congress-ruled Karnataka and Telangana where the full version of Vande Mataram was played, asking the J&K Congress president to examine the conduct of Congress governments in those states. His post was also reposted by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Speaking about the issue, Sadiq said the National Conference distinguishes between the party’s position and the government’s role at official functions. He said the NC had neither adopted the two-stanza version nor the six-stanza version as its party position, while the government was required to follow the protocol applicable to official functions.
Sadiq also said that anyone wishing to sing Vande Mataram should be free to do so and that nobody should be compelled to sing it. He pointed to Karnataka and Telangana, where the full version had also been played at official events involving Congress governments.
NC spokesperson Imran Dar similarly said the party had never been a votary of either the two-stanza version or the updated six-stanza version. He maintained that the Jammu and Kashmir Government was following the official protocol at a government event and said the party’s ideological position should be distinguished from the government’s responsibilities.
The immediate dispute has therefore centred on two separate positions: the Congress’s decision to retain its 1937 party resolution limiting its own programmes to the first two stanzas, and the National Conference government’s decision to follow the Union government’s January 2026 protocol at an official event.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued the protocol on January 28, 2026, providing that the full six-stanza official version of Vande Mataram be played or sung at specified official functions and that, when the national song and national anthem are performed together, Vande Mataram should come first. The protocol also requires those present to stand at attention during the official rendition.
The exchange has brought a new point of disagreement into the relationship between the National Conference-led government and the Congress, which provides outside support to the government in Jammu and Kashmir. [KNT]
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