Srinagar
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has questioned whether the Congress wants Kashmiris to end up in jail by opposing the full rendition of the national song Vande Mataram.
The issue follows a directive from the BJP-led Union government that all stanzas of Vande Mataram must be sung at government programmes. Congress has maintained that it will sing only the first two stanzas.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference government led by Omar Abdullah is in alliance with Congress, though Congress is not part of the cabinet. The dispute resurfaced after Vande Mataram was sung in full at the recent Jammu and Kashmir International Film Festival in Srinagar, drawing objections from Congress.
Omar said Vande Mataram has been given legal status through legislation and that disrespecting it is a punishable offence under the law. He added that the requirement to sing all stanzas applies across the country, not just in Jammu and Kashmir, and warned that violations could lead to punishment.
He then asked whether Congress, by taking such a stand, expects Kashmiris to similarly “disrespect” the song and face imprisonment.
