“Want Kashmiris in Jail?” Omar Abdullah Hits Back at Congress Over Full Vande Mataram

A fresh political disagreement has emerged between Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his INDIA alliance partner Congress over the singing of Vande Mataram.

The controversy began after the full version of the national song was played at the opening ceremony of the International Film Festival in Srinagar.

Congress had objected to the full rendition and pointed to its 1937 resolution, under which only two stanzas of Vande Mataram are used at party events.

Omar Abdullah Hits Back at Congress

Reacting to Congress' position, Omar Abdullah said that if there is a government protocol requiring the full national song to be played at official functions, it has to be followed.

He questioned whether Congress wanted Kashmiris to face legal action over the issue.

Abdullah also clarified that while the National Conference has never formally adopted Vande Mataram as a party position, government functions must follow the applicable rules and protocols.

Abdullahs Stood for Full Vande Mataram

The controversy gained further attention after Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah stood through the complete rendition of Vande Mataram at the inaugural ceremony of the International Film Festival in Srinagar on September 7.

Their position highlighted the differences between the National Conference and Congress on the issue, despite both parties being allies within the INDIA bloc.

What Is Congress’ Position?

Congress MP KC Venugopal had earlier said that the full version of Vande Mataram did not fit comfortably with the “syncretic and pluralist” vision of India's freedom movement.

The Congress Working Committee has also decided to follow its 1937 resolution, under which only two stanzas of the national song are sung at party events.

Congress has urged its alliance partners to respect this position, but the National Conference has made it clear that Congress cannot dictate its position to alliance partners.

BJP Attacks Congress

The dispute has also given the BJP an opportunity to target Congress.

BJP leaders have accused Congress of disrespecting Vande Mataram and criticised its objection to the full rendition.

BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi went further, accusing Congress of becoming the “new Muslim League” of the 21st century—a remark that has added another political dimension to the controversy.

A New Flashpoint for the INDIA Bloc?

The Vande Mataram dispute comes at a time when opposition parties are attempting to maintain unity on several national and political issues.

The disagreement between Congress and the National Conference shows that differences can emerge even among alliance partners on questions involving national symbols, party positions and government protocols.

For Omar Abdullah, the issue is about following the applicable protocol at official events. For Congress, its position remains linked to the party's historic 1937 resolution.

The question now is whether this disagreement will remain limited to the Vande Mataram controversy or create a bigger political challenge for the INDIA alliance.