Tharoor calls full Vande Mataram rendition 'unnecessary'; BJP retorts

Shashi Tharoor sparks debate by questioning the necessity of mandating the full version of Vande Mataram at official events, deeming it 'unnecessary and burdensome'.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has questioned the necessity of playing all five verses of Vande Mataram at the beginning and end of official events, labelling the practice "unnecessary and burdensome" for audiences.

Speaking to reporters on Monday amid the controversy over the singing of the national song in Kerala, Tharoor said everyone respects Vande Mataram, but making the full version mandatory at every function was difficult to justify.

Tharoor's Concerns About Vande Mataram Recital

"Vande Mataram is the national song and we stand up in respect when it is sung. The first verse, or the first couple of verses, is something most people know by heart," he said.

Tharoor noted that traditionally the song was sung once at the start of an event, while the national anthem was played separately, often at the end.

"Now they want all five verses to be sung at the beginning of every event and again at the end. I think that is an unnecessary imposition," the Congress Working Committee member said.

Kerala Government's Stance on National Song

The MP said the Kerala government had maintained that singing the full version was optional, while Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar appeared to hold a different view.

"It may ultimately have to be adjudicated because there is no law passed by Parliament requiring this. It is more a matter of convention," he said.

Tharoor stressed that he had no objection to the national song itself.

"We all respect Vande Mataram. I can happily sing it for you," he remarked.

Experiences with Full Song Recitals

Recalling a book launch event attended by Vice President C P Radhakrishnan in New Delhi, Tharoor said the full song had been played both at the beginning and end of the programme.

"For the audience, standing through a relatively unfamiliar and lengthy song twice became an issue," he said.

Tharoor argued that the portion of Vande Mataram traditionally rendered in public was roughly the same length as the national anthem and had long been widely accepted and respected.

Calling the dispute "unfortunate", he said he hoped it would be resolved amicably.

"I can understand singing it once during ceremonial occasions involving the president, vice president or prime minister. But singing the entire song twice during a short programme is difficult to understand. I don't see the rationale for it, and it is not particularly efficient either," he said.

BJP Retorts at Tharoor's Remarks

The BJP hit out at Congress leader Shashi Tharoor over his remarks on Vande Mataram, alleging that the party has once again "capitulated" to the Muslim League, an ally of the ruling coalition in Kerala.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that the Congress has shown disrespect towards national honour by opposing the full rendition of Vande Mataram.

"Once again, the Congress party has shown that it is against national honour. It has opposed the full rendition of Vande Mataram. Shashi Tharoor says it is an unnecessary imposition to sing all the stanzas. Vande Mataram in its full version has six stanzas, and yet you are calling it an unnecessary imposition," Poonawalla said in a video post on X.

He alleged that the Congress displayed the same mindset that had led to the national song being restricted to two stanzas in the past.

Poonawalla alleged that the Congress even in the past yielded to pressure from sections opposed to the song and was continuing to do so because of its association with the Muslim League in Kerala.

"Mr Nehru did it under pressure from Jinnah. At that time, he capitulated by saying that Muslims would be irritated. Today, Congress is once again capitulating under pressure from the Muslim League mindset. The same Muslim League is now in government with them," he said.

The BJP leader also accused the Congress of applying double standards on issues related to nationalism and national symbols.

"This is coming from a party that says one should not say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' but 'Sonia Mata Ki Jai'. This is the true mindset," he added.

Another BJP spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari, also slammed Tharoor.

"Vande Mataram is India's national song -- not a political choice, not 'optional'. If states start selectively ignoring national protocols for political appeasement, the idea of national unity itself gets weakened," he said in a post on X.