Srinagar witnessed a fresh political flashpoint after the full version of the patriotic song ‘Vande Mataram’ was played at the Jammu and Kashmir International Film Festival.
During the event held on Monday in Srinagar, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and other special guests stood up to pay respect as the song was played in full.
The Congress party objected to the move. Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal shared the video on X and urged its alliance partner, the National Conference, to support the Congress position of playing a version with certain lines omitted and to remain firm on that stand.
The National Conference rejected the Congress criticism. Senior leader Bashir Ahmed said alliance partners should not dictate when or how much of the song should be sung, adding that nothing should be imposed and that it should be left to people’s choice.
The episode has triggered visible tension within the INDIA alliance. Last month, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had reportedly strongly objected when the full song was played during an Independence Day celebration at the party office, drawing criticism from the BJP and other parties.
