Shashi Tharoor questions full rendition of Vande Mataram at official events, calls it 'unnecessary imposition'

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday weighed into the debate over the recitation of Vande Mataram, questioning whether the national song needs to be sung in full at every public event. Calling such a requirement "unnecessary and burdensome" for audiences, Tharoor said respect for Vande Mataram should not be confused with making its full rendition mandatory on every occasion.

His remarks come amid a growing controversy over demands that the complete version of the national song be recited at official functions. Speaking to reporters, the senior Congress leader said that while everyone respects Vande Mataram, it was difficult to justify requiring the full song to be sung at every event.

Referring to the commonly sung portion of the song, he said, “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.”

The senior Congress leader noted that the long-standing convention has been to sing Vande Mataram once at the beginning of an event, with the national anthem 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.

Tharoor pointed out that while the Kerala government has maintained that singing the full version is optional, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar appears 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.

Emphasising that he had no objection to the national song itself, Tharoor said, “We all respect Vande Mataram. I can happily sing it for you.”

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.

Calling the dispute “unfortunate”, he expressed hope that 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.

However, the ruling-BJP side slammed the Thiruvananthapuram MP over his stand on Vande Mataram. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonwalla said, "Congress capitulating to pressure from Muslim League."