Vande Mataram Row: Priyank Kharge Challenges BJP Leaders to Recite Full Song Without Help
Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has challenged BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra and Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka to sing the complete Vande Mataram from memory without paper or a teleprompter, saying he would resign if they manage it. The Vande Mataram Row has intensified as the Congress-led Karnataka government faces opposition over its decision to restrict the song to its first two stanzas at most state functions.
Kharge issued the challenge at a party ceremony in Kalaburagi on September 16. The remarks added a personal political contest to a dispute that has already moved into the Karnataka High Court. The Priyank Kharge BJP Challenge came as BJP leaders prepared to protest the state’s policy.
Kharge challenges Vijayendra and Ashoka
Kharge challenged Vijayendra and Ashoka to sing the song without notes or a teleprompter at a public meeting. He said he would resign if they could do so.
The Karnataka minister also defended the state’s decision, arguing that its position reflects the historical stance associated with figures including Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose and Rabindranath Tagore. The Vande Mataram Row has consequently become another point of confrontation between the Karnataka Congress government and the BJP.
The Priyank Kharge BJP Challenge is centred on whether the BJP leaders can demonstrate their familiarity with the full rendition while criticising the state’s two-stanza policy.
Why Karnataka limited the song
On September 8, the Karnataka government ordered that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung or played at state government programmes and official ceremonies, except events attended by the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister or Governor.
The decision followed the Congress position that the first two stanzas should be used at public gatherings. Kharge has defended the policy, while BJP leaders have argued for the full version.
The Vande Mataram Row now extends beyond political speeches because the Karnataka government’s order has been challenged before the High Court.
PIL puts state order under scrutiny
Advocate Girish Bharadwaj moved a Public Interest Litigation before the Karnataka High Court on September 15, challenging the September 8 government order. The petition argues that the state lacks authority to prescribe a version of the National Song that conflicts with Union directions. LiveLaw’s report on the Karnataka High Court PIL
The Priyank Kharge BJP Challenge therefore comes against the backdrop of an active legal dispute, rather than being an isolated political exchange.
The petition also refers to the Union government’s directions concerning the official version of Vande Mataram. The case is expected to bring the competing positions over the song’s rendition under judicial scrutiny.
Centre’s position adds to the dispute
The Union government’s position calls for the official version of Vande Mataram to be used when the National Song is sung in mass performances. The dispute is therefore partly about how that central guidance applies to state government programmes.
The Vande Mataram Row has drawn wider attention because it combines questions of national symbols, political practice and the relationship between Union and state authorities.
For now, the Priyank Kharge BJP Challenge remains a political dare, while the High Court proceedings could determine whether Karnataka’s two-stanza policy can stand.
The Vande Mataram Row is likely to remain active as the court considers the challenge and political parties continue to argue over the appropriate version for official functions. The latest Priyank Kharge BJP Challenge has added a fresh political flashpoint to that wider dispute.
