New Delhi: Playing all five verses of Vande Mataram at the beginning and end of official events is “unnecessary and burdensome” for audiences, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said.
While everyone respects Vande Mataram, making the full version mandatory at every function was difficult to justify, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said while speaking to reporters amid the controversy over the singing of the national song in Kerala.
“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,” he said.
Traditionally the song was sung once at the start of an event, while the national anthem was played separately, often at the end, the MP noted.
“Now they 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,” he said.
The Kerala government had maintained that singing the full version was optional, while Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar appeared to hold a different view, Tharoor said.
“It may ultimately have to be adjudicated because there is no law passed by Parliament requiring this. It is more a
matter of convention,” he said.
He stressed, however that he had no objection to the national song itself. “We all respect Vande Mataram. I can happily sing it for you,” he remarked.
Tharoor recalled a book launch event attended by Vice President C P Radhakrishnan in New Delhi, where the full song was played both at the beginning and end of the programme.
“For the audience, standing through a relatively unfamiliar and lengthy song twice became an issue,” he said.
The portion of Vande Mataram traditionally rendered in public was roughly the same length as the national anthem and had long been widely accepted and respected, the former diplomat said, as reported by NDTV.
“I can understand singing it once during ceremonial occasions involving the President, Vice President or Prime Minister. But singing the entire song twice during a short programme is difficult to understand. I don’t see the rationale for it, and it is not particularly efficient either,” he said, calling the dispute “unfortunate” and hoping that it would be resolved amicably.
The BJP was quick to react to Tharoor’s comments. Party leader Amit Malviya said that singing Vande Mataram in full is not “optional,” nor is it a matter of a state casually choosing whether to comply.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines are explicit: whenever Vande Mataram is rendered at official functions, the full official version is to be sung, and all six stanzas are to be played at designated government events. The guidelines further prescribe the occasions on which it must be rendered and the protocol to be followed, including standing in attention,” he posted on X.
The Congress is giving into pressure from the Muslim League in objecting to the full rendition of Vande Mataram, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said while hitting out at Tharoor.