Thiruvananthapuram:
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has questioned the necessity of playing all five verses of Vande Mataram at the beginning and end of official events, labelling the practice “unnecessary and burdensome” for audiences.
Speaking to reporters on Monday amid the controversy over the singing of the national song in Kerala, Tharoor said everyone respects Vande Mataram, but making the full version mandatory at every function was difficult to justify.
“Vande Mataram is the national song and we stand up in respect when it is sung. The first verse, or the first couple of verses, is something most people know by heart,” he said.
Tharoor noted that traditionally the song was sung once at the start of an event, while the national anthem was played separately, often at the end.
“Now they want all five verses to be sung at the beginning of every event and again at the end. I think that is an unnecessary imposition,” he said.
The MP said the Kerala government had maintained that singing the full version was optional, while Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar appeared to hold a different view.
“It may ultimately have to be adjudicated because there is no law passed by Parliament requiring this. It is more a matter of convention,” he said.
Tharoor stressed that he had no objection to the national song itself. “We all respect Vande Mataram. I can happily sing it for you,” he remarked.
Recalling a book launch event attended by Vice President C P Radhakrishnan in New Delhi, Tharoor said the full song had been played both at the beginning and end of the programme.
“For the audience, standing through a relatively unfamiliar and lengthy song twice became an issue,” he said.
Tharoor argued that the portion of Vande Mataram traditionally rendered in public was roughly the same length as the national anthem and had long been widely accepted and respected.
Calling the dispute “unfortunate”, he said he hoped it would be resolved amicably. “I can understand singing it once during ceremonial occasions involving the president, vice president or prime minister. But singing the entire song twice during a short programme is difficult to understand. I don’t see the rationale for it, and it is not particularly efficient either,” he said.
In a sharp reaction to Tharoor’s comments, BJP leader Amit Malviya said that singing Vande Mataram in full is not “optional,” nor is it a matter of a State casually choosing whether to comply.
Singing Vande Mataram in full is not “optional,” nor is it a matter of a State casually choosing whether to comply.
The Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines are explicit: whenever Vande Mataram is rendered at official functions, the full official version is to be sung, and all… https://t.co/omQcRasMzN pic.twitter.com/0ZC0ul0QrC
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 1, 2026
“The Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines are explicit: whenever Vande Mataram is rendered at official functions, the full official version is to be sung, and all six stanzas are to be played at designated government events. The guidelines further prescribe the occasions on which it must be rendered and the protocol to be followed, including standing in attention,” he posted on X.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala also hit out at Tharoor saying that the Congress is giving into pressure from the Muslim League in objecting to full rendition of Vande Mataram
Written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s, Vande Mataram was adopted as India’s national song in 1950. On January 24, 1950, the Constituent Assembly of India gave Vande Mataram the status of the national song.
Earlier this year, the Union Home Ministry mandated the singing of Vande Mataram before the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, at all government events and in schools. All six stanzas of the song, including four that were removed in 1937, will now be played. Attendees must stand in attention while the national song is rendered, the Ministry has said.
