The Vande Mataram song became a point of confrontation in the Karnataka Assembly on Monday after the officially played recording ended after two stanzas, following which BJP legislators continued by reciting the remaining portions of the national song.
The incident occurred as the Karnataka Legislature began a three-day special session focused on the severe drought situation in the state and issues related to the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats.
At the Assembly, the official recording of Vande Mataram was played at the start of proceedings but stopped after two stanzas. BJP MLAs subsequently raised slogans and began singing the full version themselves. A similar scene was reported in the Legislative Council, where BJP members continued reciting the remaining stanzas while the Council chairman proceeded with the scheduled proceedings.
The episode follows a Karnataka government order under which the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram are to be sung at most state government programmes. The order provides for all six stanzas at programmes attended by the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister or Governor.
The two-stanza arrangement has also become the subject of legal proceedings. A petition filed in the Karnataka High Court has challenged the state government’s decision, arguing that it conflicts with directions issued by the Union government concerning the official version of the national song.
The Assembly episode has therefore brought the ongoing disagreement over the format of Vande Mataram into the legislative proceedings, with BJP members publicly reciting the full version after the official recording ended.
The incident is likely to keep the debate over the national song’s prescribed format in Karnataka’s political and legal discussions as the special session continues.