Vande Mataram row: Venugopal urges INDIA allies to follow Cong line

Congress's KC Venugopal said the full Vande Mataram 'sits uneasily' with pluralism, urging INDIA allies to adopt the 1937 version. This follows Omar and Farooq Abdullah standing for the full song, highlighting a rift in the opposition bloc.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Tuesday said the full version of Vande Mataram “sits uneasily” with the syncretic and pluralist ethos envisioned by India's freedom fighters, and urged the party's allies to respect the version of the national song adopted by the Congress in 1937.

“The full version of Vande Mataram sits uneasily with the syncretic and pluralist ethos that our freedom fighters envisioned and nurtured for India,” Venugopal said in a post on X. His remarks came on the same day as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah stood through the full rendition of Vande Mataram at the inaugural International Film Festival in Srinagar. The Abdullahs stood through all six stanzas of the song, highlighting differences within the INDIA bloc over the issue.

Congress Cites Freedom Fighters' Wisdom

“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. Kripalani — shaped in no small part by the counsel of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore — remains paramount,” Venugopal's post read.

“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,” he added.

Venugopal said the version adopted by the Congress was chosen deliberately to prevent the song from being “communalised”.

“That version was chosen deliberately, to keep the song from being communalised - a threat as real today as it was then,” he said. “Upholding it is how we uphold the secular, inclusive character of our Republic,” he added.

Political Row Escalates Within INDIA Bloc

The remarks come amid a continuing political row over the rendition of Vande Mataram. The Congress has maintained that it will sing only the first two stanzas of the national song at its official party programmes, citing the Congress Working Committee's 1937 resolution.

The National Conference's decision to stand through the full rendition in Srinagar has now added another dimension to the debate, with the party being an ally of the Congress in the INDIA bloc.

The issue has also drawn a political response from the BJP, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah previously criticising the Congress for adhering to its 1937 position and accusing it of pursuing appeasement politics. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)