The Karnataka BJP has announced a five-day statewide padayatra from September 15 to protest the state government's decision to restrict the rendition of Vande Mataram at official programmes.
Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra said the march would be held across all 224 Assembly constituencies. BJP workers and members of the public will meet tahsildars and deputy commissioners during the campaign and submit memoranda demanding that the government withdraw its order.
The controversy centres on a Karnataka government directive that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung at official functions. An exception has been made for programmes attended by the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister or Governor.
Vijayendra criticised the decision and said Vande Mataram represented more than a song, arguing that it played an important role in India's freedom movement and inspired patriotic sentiment among people.
The BJP leader said the Centre had directed that all six stanzas be sung and described Karnataka's decision to limit the rendition to two stanzas as unfortunate. He also alleged that the state government's decision was aimed at appeasing minorities, a claim that has become part of the political dispute between the BJP and Congress in the state.
The controversy follows a January directive from the Union Home Ministry stating that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung before Jana Gana Mana when the two national songs are performed together. The directive was issued as the Centre marked 150 years 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 programmes.
Vijayendra also referred to recent Enforcement Directorate searches involving Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi and members of his family. He denied any BJP involvement in the agency's action but suggested that internal political differences within the Congress could be linked to the developments.
The BJP leader pointed to Jarkiholi's reported ambitions for the Karnataka chief minister's post in 2028 and questioned whether the searches could be connected to the political contest within the ruling party.
“There is no role of the BJP in the ED raids,” Vijayendra said, while referring to speculation over whether internal differences in the Congress and competition for the chief minister's position had contributed to the situation.
He further suggested that information about Jarkiholi may have been provided to the agency by individuals within the Congress. These claims have not been independently established.
Jarkiholi, who faced the ED searches on Saturday, said he knew who had complained against him and had informed Chief Minister D K Shivakumar about the matter.
The immediate political focus, however, remains on the Vande Mataram dispute. With the BJP's five-day march beginning on September 15, the issue is expected to generate further political debate across Karnataka as the opposition seeks to pressure the Congress government to reconsider its decision.
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