National Conference, Congress exchange barbs after Omar, Farooq stand for full version of Vande Mataram

The Ruling National Conference (NC) and its ally the Congress traded barbs on Wednesday over the NC leadership’s decision to stand for all stanzas of the national song, Vande Mataram, after it was played at the inauguration of the International Film Festival Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK) in Srinagar on September 7.

J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra, in a post on X, questioned Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah’s decision to stand for all stanzas of the song.

“National symbols, songs and traditions occupy a special place in the heart of every Indian. Their true strength lies in their ability to bind together a nation as diverse as ours. It is therefore a matter of concern that our alliance partners chose to sing the full version of Vande Mataram, disregarding the considered evolution of the song’s place in India’s national life, not merely during the freedom movement, but through the constitutional journey of the Republic thereafter. The adopted version represented a conscious balance preserving the historic ... ,” said Mr. Karra.