BJP Alleges Congress Yields to Muslim League Pressure in 'Vande Mataram' Row in Kerala

Asignificant political and constitutional debate has unfolded in Kerala following the recent session of the Legislative Assembly, where only the opening two stanzas of the national song 'Vande Mataram' were played by a police band before Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar's address. This deviation from the complete rendition has sparked strong reactions, particularly from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has accused the ruling Congress-led government of succumbing to pressure from its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

BJP leader Prakash Reddy, speaking from Hyderabad, lambasted the Congress government in Kerala, asserting that it was 'yielding to the Muslim League pressure because they want to survive'. He emphatically described the current Congress government in Kerala as 'totally a Muslim League government', presenting the Congress with a stark choice: 'whether you yield to the pressures of the Muslim League or whether you yield to the pressures of the people of this country'.

Governor Arlekar himself expressed displeasure over the incomplete rendition, emphasizing that proper protocol dictates the full national song should be played whenever he is present at official functions. He noted that the song was merely played and not sung in its entirety during the Assembly event. This stance was reiterated by BJP leaders, with national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleging that the Congress-led government violated constitutional protocol and insulted both the Governor and 'Vande Mataram' under duress from the IUML.

Reddy further delved into the historical context, alleging a pattern of the Congress party bowing to minority pressures. He claimed that even in the pre-independence era, Congress, under pressure from the Muslim League, removed 'Vande Mataram' as a national song and later limited its rendition to only two stanzas after independence. He contrasted this with the Union government's directive, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, instructing all states to ensure all five stanzas of 'Vande Mataram' are sung during official programs, especially as part of the song's 150th-anniversary celebrations.

Other BJP leaders echoed these sentiments. V. Muraleedharan, for instance, termed the 'redacted Vande Mataram' an 'affront to the Governor and the Lok Bhavan', alleging that the V.D. Satheesan government had 'caved in to pressure from the Jamaat-e-Islami and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]'. He argued that the government had 'explicitly endorsed' the narrative that 'Vande Mataram', which inspired the national movement, was 'anti-secular and divisive'.

The Congress-led Kerala government, on its part, reportedly justified the partial rendition by arguing that singing the full version of 'Vande Mataram' was not mandatory, as Parliament had not passed any law requiring it. Sources indicated that the government might have directed the police band to play only the initial 'secular stanzas', based on the reasoning by some 'Freedom Struggle's leaders' that the first two compositions were 'secular, civic and inclusive', while the subsequent verses had 'a Hindu religious tint', potentially 'risking national unity'.

The controversy surrounding 'Vande Mataram' has deep historical roots in India's political and communal relations. While it served as a powerful symbol of the nationalist movement and was first sung by Rabindranath Tagore at a Congress session in 1896, some Muslim leaders and the Muslim League historically objected to certain lines that portrayed 'Bharat Mata' in a divine form. Despite these historical objections, 'Vande Mataram' was accorded the status of National Song in 1950. The current dispute in Kerala has thus not only highlighted contemporary political alignments and accusations of appeasement but also resurfaced long-standing debates about the song's interpretation and its place in India's diverse society.