Vande Mataram Row

The court referred to the Bijoe Emmanuel ruling as it considered whether a person who respectfully declines to sing can face criminal action

Krishna submitted that the last four stanzas of Vande Mataram expressly invoke devotion to Hindu deities, and mandating the singing of those portions violates the secular character of the nation

The Congress government in Karnataka has ordered that only the first 2 stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung at its programmes, except those attended by the president, vice-president, prime minister or governor. The order follows a decision taken by the state Cabinet on the playing or singing of Vande Mataram at government programmes and functions held in the state. In January, the Union Home Ministry directed that all 6 stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung before the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, when both are played together. The directive was issued as the Centre marked the 150th year of Vande Mataram. However, the Congress Working Committee decided on August 19 to abide by its 1937 resolution on Vande Mataram, under which only 2 stanzas of the National Song would be sung at party events. The decision came after the BJP accused Congress leaders of insulting Vande Mataram by not singing its full version at party events. The preamble to the state government order said Vande Mataram had

The Congress on Friday dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "India's greatest distorian" and accused him of attempting to distort the history of the national anthem as well bringing "disrepute" to Rabindranath Tagore during the discussion on Vande Mataram in Parliament last month. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also alleged that the PM is "systematically demolishing" Mahatma Gandhi's memory and legacy, with the latest instance being the repeal of MGNREGA. Ramesh made the remarks in a post on X on the 129th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. "During the discussion on the national song last month in Parliament which had left the PM and his colleagues badly bruised and exposed, there had been attempts made to distort the history of the national anthem as well - bringing disrepute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore in the process," Ramesh said. Today on January 23, 2026, the nation celebrates the 129th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas ..

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said the government pushed for a debate on Vande Mataram as the West Bengal assembly polls were approaching and that it wanted to divert attention from the problems people were facing. Participating in a discussion in the Lok Sabha on 150 years of national song Vande Mataram, she hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he is not the prime minister he used to be as his "self-confidence was decreasing and policies were weakening the country". The Congress MP from Wayanad slammed the BJP for targeting first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and alleged that the government wanted this debate to make fresh allegations against those who fought for the country's freedom. "Since you keep talking about Nehru, let's do one thing, let's assign a time for a discussion, list out all the insults against him... debate it and let's close the chapter for once and all," she said. "After that, let's talk about today's issues - price rise and ...

Prime Minister Modi further stated that "the same divisive mindset" continues to pose a significant challenge to the nation even today

The Delhi High Court sought to know the Centre and Delhi government's stand on a plea seeking that a policy be framed to equally propagate the national anthem and the national song -- 'Vande Mataram'

And in Jaipur, the mayor has made it mandatory for employees of the municipal corporation to swing both the national anthem and the national song everyday

2 AIMIM corporators refused to stand up when 'Vande Mataram' was sung at the start of the day