Vande Mataram ends after 2 stanzas in Assembly, Council

Bengaluru: BJP legislators recited the full version of Vande Mataram at the beginning of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Council proceedings on Monday, when the recording that was officially played in both the Houses, ended after two stanzas.

A three-day special session of the Karnataka legislature, convened to discuss the drought situation in the state and the Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats ecologically sensitive areas, began here at Vidhan Soudha.

The session at the Legislative Assembly started with the playing of the recorded Vande Mataram song, but it ended after rendering two stanzas. Soon after that, Speaker G S Patil read out obituary references for the prominent people who passed away recently. However, BJP MLAs continued reciting the full version of the national song and concluded it by raising Vande Mataram slogans.

Subsequently, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar started his intervention regarding the obituary references by paying tribute to former MLA R B Shiriyannavar who died on August 27. Similarly, at the Legislative Council, BJP members continued reciting the remaining stanzas of the national song, even as Council Chairman Saleem Ahmed started reading the preamble of the Constitution, as per the practice.

BJP members then shouted slogans against the government for not playing the full version of Vande Mataram. However, unlike in the Assembly, the Council witnessed chaotic scenes and a protest by the opposition from the well of the House, over the issue.

The Congress government in Karnataka has ordered that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung in its programmes, except those attended by the president, vice-president, prime minister or governor. The move followed the Union Home Ministry’s January directive requiring that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung before the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, when both are played together. The directive was issued as the Centre marked the 150th year of Vande Mataram.

In the Council, after reciting the full Vande Mataram, BJP MLCs separately read out the preamble of the Constitution.

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The Hans India