Vande Mataram row deepens as leaders clash over full rendition

Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi warned that action would be initiated against those who sing more than two stanzas.

Bengaluru: The dispute over the singing of Vande Mataram at government and public programmes has escalated in Karnataka, with Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi warning that action would be initiated against those who sing more than two stanzas.

The minister’s warning comes days after the complete version of the song was reportedly sung at a Praja Seve programme in Gangavathi after MLA Janardhana Reddy insisted on its rendition. The incident has since become part of the political debate over the government’s directions on Vande Mataram.

Tangadagi made it clear that organisers and participants at official programmes were expected to adhere to the government’s instructions. He said the government could not permit individuals to alter the prescribed format based on their personal demands.

The controversy has also spread to Belagavi, where a programme organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities was held at BIMS. The organisers initially played only a portion of Vande Mataram.

MP Jagadish Shettar objected to the partial rendition and asked officials to play the complete song. Staff members reportedly had difficulty locating the full version immediately and subsequently played it using a mobile phone.

The incident added another dimension to the ongoing dispute, with political leaders taking different positions on the issue.

In Gadag, MP Basavaraj Bommai also expressed his displeasure over the manner in which Vande Mataram was rendered at a programme at the Swami Vivekananda Auditorium. He described the incident as a protocol violation and said he would bring the matter to the attention of the Union government.

The government’s position, as stated by Tangadagi, is that only the prescribed two stanzas should be sung at the concerned official programmes. The minister warned that any violation of the direction could invite action.

The Gangavathi programme, the BIMS incident in Belagavi and the event in Gadag have therefore brought renewed attention to the implementation of the government’s Vande Mataram instructions.

With leaders from both sides commenting on the issue, the controversy has moved beyond individual programmes and become a broader political argument over protocol, official directions and the rendition of the national song at public events.