Bengaluru, September 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Karnataka Congress President and MLC B.K. Hariprasad on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court’s observation that a person cannot be criminally prosecuted merely for refusing to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ on grounds of religious belief or conscience.
Hariprasad said the observation reaffirmed the constitutional position that an individual could not be treated as a criminal for declining to sing the national song. He described the court’s view as an affirmation of democratic and constitutional principles.
He said the Congress had already decided at the AICC Working Committee level, as well as in Karnataka, that only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ would be sung at government programmes.
“Patriotism does not mean forcing someone to sing a particular song. It means respecting the Constitution, the country’s diversity and every citizen’s freedom of conscience,” Hariprasad said.
He recalled that national leaders had held discussions on ‘Vande Mataram’ during the freedom struggle and had sought an approach that respected India’s pluralistic character.
“By setting aside that historic consensus, the Union government has imposed a new system of officially singing all six stanzas on the people,” he alleged.
Hariprasad maintained that nobody was opposed to the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’, but said constitutional rights could not be set aside in the name of respecting the song.
“There is no situation in this country where people have to obtain a certificate of patriotism from the BJP. Just as every citizen has the right to love the country, every citizen also has the right to act according to their conscience,” he said.
He also criticised the BJP over the controversy during the Karnataka Legislative Assembly session, alleging that its members had insisted on singing the complete version of the song in opposition to the government’s decision to use only the first two stanzas at official programmes.
Hariprasad claimed that while ruling party members stopped after the first two stanzas and read the Preamble to the Constitution, opposition members continued singing the full song. He also criticised BJP members for using printed copies while singing the complete version, questioning their familiarity with the lyrics.
“Turning a song into a political weapon while being unable to sing the same song properly is perhaps the biggest political contradiction,” he said.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s observation, Hariprasad said the development would provide relief to those who could not or did not wish to sing the song.
FOLLOW NOW
