Vande Mataram row: Karnataka Congress chief backs SC view, slams BJP
Synopsis
Karnataka Congress President B.K. Hariprasad has used the Supreme Court's observation on Vande Mataram to launch a two-front attack — defending the constitutional right to conscience and mocking the BJP for pushing a political stand on a song whose complete lyrics, he alleges, their own members could not recall. The episode puts India's pluralism debate squarely back at centre stage.
Key Takeaways
Karnataka Congress President B.K.
Hariprasad welcomed the Supreme Court's observation on 23 September that refusing to sing Vande Mataram on grounds of conscience cannot attract criminal prosecution.
The Congress has a standing resolution — taken at the AICC Working Committee level — to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at official programmes in Karnataka .
Hariprasad argued that patriotism means respecting the Constitution and every citizen's freedom of conscience, not compelling people to sing a particular song.
He accused the Union government of setting aside a historic national consensus by mandating all six stanzas at official events.
Hariprasad mocked BJP members for relying on printed copies during the Karnataka Assembly singing episode, calling it a 'political contradiction' to weaponise a song one cannot sing from memory.
Karnataka Congress President and MLC B.K. Hariprasad on Wednesday, 23 September welcomed the Supreme Court's observation that no person can be criminally prosecuted for refusing to sing 'Vande Mataram' on grounds of religious belief or conscience, calling it a reaffirmation of India's constitutional values. The remarks came amid a continuing debate over the singing of all six stanzas of the national song at official programmes.
Hariprasad Backs Supreme Court's Constitutional Stand
Hariprasad said the Supreme Court had once again clarified that an individual could not be made a criminal for declining to sing Vande Mataram. He described the court's view as a further demonstration of the strength of democratic and constitutional principles. He also noted that the Indian National Congress (INC) had already resolved, at the AICC Working Committee level and within Karnataka, to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at government programmes. 'The party's position on this issue is clear,' he said.
Patriotism Cannot Be Reduced to a Mandate, Says Hariprasad
Hariprasad argued that patriotism did not mean compelling someone to sing a particular song. According to him, it meant respecting the Constitution, honouring the country's diversity, and upholding every citizen's freedom of conscience. He recalled that national leaders during the freedom struggle had held serious discussions on Vande Mataram and had arrived at an approach that respected India's pluralism. 'By setting aside that historic consensus, the Union government has imposed a new system of officially singing all six stanzas on the people,' he said.
Sharp Criticism of BJP Over Assembly Controversy
Hariprasad also trained his fire on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over a controversy that erupted during the Karnataka Legislative Assembly session. He said BJP members had insisted on singing the full version of Vande Mataram in opposition to the state government's decision to restrict the singing to the first two stanzas at official events. He pointed out that when ruling party members stopped after the first two stanzas and proceeded to read the Preamble to the Constitution, opposition members continued with the full song. Notably, he alleged that BJP members relied on printed copies during the singing, questioning their familiarity with the complete lyrics.
'It is ironic that the BJP, which created such a major political issue in the Assembly insisting that the full Vande Mataram must be sung, did not even have the complete lyrics memorised,' Hariprasad said. He added that the inability to sing the lyrics properly even while reading them was an even greater contradiction. 'Turning a song into a political weapon while being unable to sing the same song properly is perhaps the biggest political contradiction,' he said.
Constitution Cannot Be Overridden in the Name of a Song
Hariprasad maintained that nobody was opposing the singing of Vande Mataram as such, but argued firmly that the Constitution could not be set aside in the name of respecting the song. 'There is no situation in this country where people have to obtain a certificate of patriotism from the BJP. Just as every citizen has the right to love the country, every citizen also has the right to act according to their conscience,' he said. Referring to the Supreme Court's observation, he concluded that BJP members who were reportedly unable to sing Vande Mataram properly could at least take comfort in the ruling — a remark he made with evident sarcasm. The episode is expected to keep the Vande Mataram debate alive in Karnataka politics ahead of the next legislative session.
Point of View
He shifts the argument from sentiment to law, making it harder for the BJP to hold the moral high ground. The Assembly anecdote about printed lyrics is a sharp rhetorical move, but it risks trivialising a substantive constitutional question. What the episode also reveals is that the BJP's 'patriotism' framing, effective as an electoral signal, is vulnerable the moment it meets the specifics of constitutional jurisprudence — a vulnerability that Karnataka's opposition appears increasingly willing to exploit.
NationPress
23 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Supreme Court say about refusing to sing Vande Mataram?
The Supreme Court observed that a person cannot be criminally prosecuted merely for refusing to sing Vande Mataram on grounds of religious belief or personal conscience. The observation reaffirms the constitutional protection of freedom of conscience under Indian law.
What is the Karnataka Congress's official position on Vande Mataram?
The Karnataka Congress, in line with a resolution passed at the AICC Working Committee level, sings only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at government programmes. Party president B.K. Hariprasad described this as the party's clear and consistent stance.
What controversy erupted during the Karnataka Assembly session over Vande Mataram?
During a Karnataka Legislative Assembly session, BJP members insisted on singing the full six stanzas of Vande Mataram, in opposition to the state government's practice of singing only the first two. Hariprasad alleged that BJP members relied on printed copies and could not sing the complete lyrics from memory, calling it a political contradiction.
Why does the Union government's directive on all six stanzas matter?
Hariprasad argued that the Union government, by mandating the singing of all six stanzas at official programmes, has set aside a historic national consensus evolved during the freedom struggle to respect India's pluralism. Critics see this as a departure from a carefully negotiated constitutional balance on the sensitive issue.
Who is B.K. Hariprasad?
B.K. Hariprasad is the President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC). He is a senior Congress leader and a former Rajya Sabha member with a long record in party organisation.
