Karnataka to retain two-stanza rendition of Vande Mataram: Shivakumar

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said the state government would continue to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at government and public programmes, reiterating the Congress’s long-standing position.

Shivakumar said the rendition of all six stanzas at an Independence Day event in Karnataka took place without his knowledge. He added that the government would adhere to its earlier decision in future programmes.

“I believe in my party’s ideology. Whatever we have decided, I stand by that. I think without my knowledge, or in the Governor house, it may happen, but in future and in any government programmes, we will stand by what we had earlier, the two stanzas,” he said at the India Today Roundtable in Karnataka.

The Congress Working Committee last week reaffirmed its 1937 resolution that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung at public and national gatherings. The issue gained fresh political attention after the proposed Vande Mataram Bill called for the rendition of all stanzas of the national song, triggering a row between the Congress and the BJP.

Responding to allegations of appeasement politics, Shivakumar said the Congress stood for inclusiveness and accused the BJP of pursuing appeasement.

“This is a country of diverse communities. The BJP is pursuing appeasement politics, whereas we believe in taking every section of society along with us. That is what our ideology stands for,” he said.

The Chief Minister also stressed that India’s linguistic, cultural and regional diversity must be respected. Addressing the Hindu versus Hindutva debate, Shivakumar said religion could not be linked to essential elements such as air, water and sunlight.

“There is no religion in the sun, water or air. You cannot change these things, you have to breathe the same air and drink the same water that everyone else does,” he said.