National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stood through the full rendition of Vande Mataram at the inaugural International Film Festival in Srinagar, days after Congress leader Sonia Gandhi objected to all six stanzas of the national song being played at the party headquarters in Delhi.

The Abdullahs remained standing for the entire three-minute-and-10-second rendition before the national anthem, in accordance with the Ministry of Home Affairs’ new guidelines. Their participation has drawn attention because the National Conference is part of the INDIA bloc alongside the Congress, which has continued to follow its 1937 resolution limiting the rendition of Vande Mataram to its first two stanzas at official party events.

Abdullahs Stand Through Full Rendition In Srinagar

The inaugural International Film Festival in Srinagar on Monday evening saw Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah standing in the front row throughout the complete rendition of Vande Mataram.

Their decision to stand for the full song has added a fresh dimension to the political debate surrounding the national song, particularly because of the differing positions adopted by two INDIA bloc allies.

The controversy intensified after Sonia Gandhi objected to the full rendition of Vande Mataram during Independence Day celebrations at the Congress headquarters in Delhi.

She was visibly upset and signalled for the performance to be stopped after realising that the singers had continued beyond the first two stanzas.

Congress Sticks To Its 1937 Resolution

The Congress has maintained that it follows a 1937 Congress Working Committee resolution under which only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram are rendered. The truncated version was adopted with the party saying the decision was intended to maintain communal harmony.

As the controversy grew, the Congress chose to continue following its 1937 resolution at official party functions and programmes despite the Centre’s new guidelines on the national song.

The party’s position drew sharp criticism from the BJP, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah accusing the Congress of pursuing appeasement politics.

“Yesterday, the Congress Working Committee took an anti-national decision. Following its 1937 resolution, Congress decided to sing only two stanzas of Vande Mataram. I want to remind the nation that in 1937, by dividing Vande Mataram for the appeasement of Muslims, Congress laid the foundation for the partition of the country,” Shah had said a day after the Congress reaffirmed its decision to follow the earlier resolution.

Video Of Srinagar Event Draws Social Media Reaction

A video from the Srinagar film festival showing the Abdullahs standing through the full rendition of Vande Mataram was widely discussed, with several social media users highlighting the contrast between the National Conference’s position and that of the Congress.

Journalist Zafar Choudhary shared his reaction to the video, saying, “While Delhi debates how much of Vande Mataram should be sung, Kashmir seems to have settled the matter rather effortlessly – the full song, followed by the full anthem. No debate, no drama, no fuel for the idiot-box. Just music.”

Several other users also commented on the contrasting approaches, with some arguing that the disagreement was confined to members of a particular political party rather than reflecting any broader confusion over the rendition of Vande Mataram.

Others praised the National Conference leaders for standing throughout the complete song before the national anthem.

Differing INDIA Bloc Positions Draw Attention

The National Conference and the Congress are allies in the INDIA bloc, making the differing approach of their leaders to the full rendition of Vande Mataram particularly notable.

While the Congress has continued to limit its official rendition of the national song to the first two stanzas in line with its 1937 resolution, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah stood through the entire song at the Srinagar event.

The development has brought the differences between the two allies into focus and added another layer to the ongoing political row over how Vande Mataram should be rendered at official and political events.

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