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.