NEW DELHI: The recitation of Vande Mataram in the Karnataka Assembly ended after two stanzas, following which BJP MLAs recited the full version of the song, objecting to the decision to limit its rendition.BJP MLA SR Vishwanath criticised the Congress-led Karnataka government over the issue and alleged that the move was aimed at appeasing the party’s central leadership.“Even before independence, Congress opposed Vande Mataram and stopped singing it in their meetings. To please Sonia Gandhi, the Congress government in Karnataka, led by Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, brought it to the cabinet and said we will sing only two paragraphs, not the full song. To please the Congress high command, they have truncated Vande Mataram, which is equal to the national anthem. We strongly oppose this. Today, in Vidhana Soudha, if they truncate it, all BJP MLAs will sing the full Vande Mataram song, even if they try to stop us.”
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The BJP MLAs subsequently recited the complete version of Vande Mataram in the Assembly.The Karnataka government had earlier directed that only the first two stanzas of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ be played or sung at state government programmes and official ceremonies.According to a government order dated September 8, 2026, the decision was taken in accordance with guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.The order states that, except at programmes attended by the President, Vice President, Prime Minister or Governor, only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ shall be sung at state government programmes.The order was issued in the name of the Governor of Karnataka.