"Vande Mataram is the National Song, and we stand up in respect when it is sung.
"This is the same mindset that made Nehru cut the Vande Mataram into two stanzas.
Vande Mataram in its full version has six stanzas, and yet you are calling it an unnecessary imposition," he added.
"Singing the Vande Mataram in full is not mandatory as there is no law enacted in that regard by Parliament.
Satheesan should clarify since when Congress has begun to distance itself from Vande Mataram," he added.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala has landed in a fresh controversy after the Kerala Police band did not render Vande Mataram in its entirety during the opening session of the 16th Kerala Assembly on May 29. The issue gained further attention after the BJP accused the Congress of once again "capitulating" to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), its coalition partner, following remarks by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor questioning the Centre's insistence on singing all the six stanzas of the National Song at official functions.
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Defending the Congress government's position, Tharoor on Tuesday said respect for Vande Mataram did not require the full rendition of all its "five verses" at every event.
"Vande Mataram is the National Song, and we stand up in respect when it is sung. The first verse, or the first couple of verses, is something most people know by heart," Tharoor said.
"Now they (Modi government) want all five verses to be sung at the beginning of every event and again at the end. I think that is an unnecessary imposition," Tharoor added, arguing that the Centre's directive amounted to an imposition.
The remarks drew a sharp response from the BJP.
Party national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the Congress of continuing what he described as a historical compromise made by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, under pressure from Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
"This is the same mindset that made Nehru cut the Vande Mataram into two stanzas. Nehru did it under pressure from Jinnah, and today the Congress government in Kerala is doing this under the pressure of the present Muslim League that is with them in the government as an ally," Poonawalla said in a video message posted on X.
Rejecting Tharoor's criticism of the directive, Poonawalla corrected him, saying the complete song contained six, and not five, stanzas.
"Shashi Tharoor says it is an unnecessary imposition to sing all the stanzas. Vande Mataram in its full version has six stanzas, and yet you are calling it an unnecessary imposition," he added.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also attacked the Congress and criticised Tharoor's remarks, accusing the party of undermining national symbols for political considerations.
"Vande Mataram is India's national song and not a political choice, not 'optional'. If states start selectively ignoring national protocols for political appeasement, the idea of national unity itself gets weakened," Bhandari wrote on X on Tuesday.
"The problem is not with Vande Mataram. The problem is with those who are uncomfortable saying it. Shame on Congress. Congress is the Muslim League Maoist (Naxalite) Congress," Bhandari added.
KERALA GOVERNOR FLAGGED VANDE MATARAM NOT RENDERED IN FULL
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The controversy was first flagged by Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who expressed dissatisfaction over what he termed a violation of established protocol during the Assembly session.
Addressing reporters after his Assembly address, Arlekar said his office had insisted that Vande Mataram be rendered in full whenever the Governor was present.
"We had insisted that whenever the governor is present, as per protocol, 'Vande Mataram' has to be sung fully. It was not sung, but only played by the band. Yet they could have played it fully. I have spoken to the Assembly Speaker. Let us see how things develop," he said.
The Governor further clarified that Lok Bhavan had specifically requested that the song be sung rather than merely played instrumentally.
"Raj Bhavan had insisted that the song be sung and not played in full," Arlekar said, adding that the matter had been discussed with Assembly Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan.
The issue comes against the backdrop of the Union government's directive issued in October last year to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, asking the states to render the song in its entirety at official functions.
Since then, the issue has become a flashpoint in the broader political tussle between the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre and several non-BJP-ruled States.
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NO LEGAL REQUIREMENT TO SING VANDE MATARAM IN FULL: KERALA CM
Responding to Governor Arlekar's criticism on May 29, Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan maintained that there was no legal requirement to sing the national song in full.
"Singing the Vande Mataram in full is not mandatory as there is no law enacted in that regard by Parliament. There are only some guidelines issued regarding the national song," Satheesan said.
BJP leader V Muraleedharan also criticised the Congress-led opposition, accusing it of yielding to ideological allies and disrespecting the national song.
"Satheesan has surrendered before CPI(M) and Jamaat-e-Islami. The National Song has been insulted on its 150th anniversary. The government did not abide by the Union government's directive that the entire version of 'Vande Mataram' should be sung during programmes attended by the governor," Muraleedharan wrote on X on May 29.
"The government action shows that it has attested to the argument of the CPI(M) and Jamaat-e-Islami that the national song is not compatible with secularism. Satheesan should clarify since when Congress has begun to distance itself from Vande Mataram," he added.
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While the Vande Mataram not being rendered in full during the first session of the Assembly was flagged by Governor Arlekar, it was Tharoor's remarks of "unnecessary imposition" on Tuesday that snowballed the issue into a bigger controversy.
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