Karnataka BJP to begin five-day padayatra from Sept 15 over Vande Mataram row

Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Sunday announced a five-day padayatra from September 15 across all 224 Assembly constituencies to protest the state government’s decision to restrict the rendition of Vande Mataram at official programmes.

BJP workers and members of the public will meet tahsildars and deputy commissioners during the march and submit memoranda seeking withdrawal of the government order.

The Congress government has directed that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung at official programmes, with an exception for events attended by the president, vice president, prime minister or governor.

Vijayendra said the BJP would use the statewide march to challenge the decision, which he said diminished the place of the national song in official functions. “Vande Mataram is not merely a song. It ignited the spirit of the freedom struggle among crores of Indians and evoked a sense of patriotism among the people,” Vijayendra told reporters.

He said the Centre had directed that all six stanzas be sung and described Karnataka’s decision to restrict the rendition to two stanzas as unfortunate. He also alleged that the state government had taken the decision to appease minorities.

“Padayatra will be held for five days from September 15 in all Assembly constituencies. Let Shivakumar learn a lesson from the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is in favour of following the Centre’s decision to sing all six stanzas,” he said.

The dispute follows a January directive from the Union Home Ministry that six stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung before Jana Gana Mana when the two are performed together. The directive was issued as the Centre marked the 150th year of Vande Mataram.

The Congress Working Committee, meanwhile, decided on August 19 to follow its 1937 resolution on the song, under which only two stanzas are to be sung at party events.

Vijayendra also linked the Enforcement Directorate searches involving Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi and his family to the Congress’s internal political contest, while denying any BJP role in the agency’s action.

He said there was speculation that people within the Congress who possessed information about Jarkiholi may have passed it to the ED and effectively trapped the minister. He also pointed to Jarkiholi’s reported ambition to become chief minister in 2028 and questioned whether the searches were connected to an internal contest for the post.

“There is no role of the BJP in the ED raids. There is discussion about whether internal differences in the Congress and the fight for the chief minister’s post have led to a conspiracy or a plot,” he said.

Vijayendra further alleged that information may have been supplied to the agency with the intention of pushing Jarkiholi aside as a potential contender for the chief minister’s post.

Jarkiholi, who faced the ED searches on Saturday, said he knew who had complained against him to the agency and had informed Chief Minister D K Shivakumar about it.