BENGALURU: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president B K Hariprasad on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court’s remarks on singing “Vande Mataram”, saying patriotism cannot be imposed and that citizens have the right to act according to their conscience.
In a post on X, Hariprasad said that the Supreme Court had clarified that an individual cannot be treated as a criminal for refusing to sing “Vande Mataram” due to religious beliefs or conscience.
“The Supreme Court has once again clarified the constitutional position that it is not possible to turn an individual into a criminal for not singing ‘Vande Mataram’. The court stated during the hearing that no one should be subjected to criminal action if they refuse to sing due to religious belief or conscience,” he said.
Hariprasad said the Congress party’s position on the issue was clear and referred to the decision taken by the AICC executive committee and in Karnataka to sing only the first two stanzas of “Vande Mataram” at government programmes.
‘ವಂದೇ ಮಾತರಂ’ ಹಾಡದಿದ್ದರೆ ಒಬ್ಬ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಅಪರಾಧಿಯನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂಬ ಸಂವಿಧಾನಾತ್ಮಕ ನಿಲುವನ್ನು ಸುಪ್ರೀಂ ಕೋರ್ಟ್ ಮತ್ತೊಮ್ಮೆ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟಪಡಿಸಿದೆ. ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ನಂಬಿಕೆ ಅಥವಾ ಆತ್ಮಸಾಕ್ಷಿಯ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದ ಯಾರಾದರೂ ಹಾಡಲು ನಿರಾಕರಿಸಿದರೆ ಅವರನ್ನು ಕ್ರಿಮಿನಲ್ ಕ್ರಮಕ್ಕೆ ಒಳಪಡಿಸಬಾರದು ಎಂದು ನ್ಯಾಯಾಲಯ ವಿಚಾರಣೆ ವೇಳೆ…
— Hariprasad.B.K. (@HariprasadBK2) September 23, 2026
“The Congress party has already decided, in the AICC executive committee and in Karnataka, to sing only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ in government programmes. The party’s stance on this issue is clear,” he said. He added that patriotism does not mean forcing anyone to sing a song and said it lies in respecting the Constitution, diversity and individual freedom.
“Patriotism does not lie in forcing anyone to compulsorily sing a song. Patriotism means respecting the Constitution, honouring the country’s diversity, and protecting the freedom of every citizen’s conscience,” Hariprasad said.
The Congress leader also alleged that the Centre had introduced a system requiring the full six stanzas of “Vande Mataram” to be sung, saying that historical discussions around the song had taken place while keeping India’s pluralism in mind.
“Even during the freedom struggle era, national leaders held serious discussions on ‘Vande Mataram’ and shaped a path that respected the country’s pluralism. Setting aside that historic consensus, the central government has imposed a new system of officially requiring the full six stanzas to be sung by the people,” he said.
Hariprasad further said that no one was opposing the singing of “Vande Mataram”, but added that the Constitution should not be sidelined in the name of honouring the song. “There is no situation in this country where one needs to obtain a certificate of patriotism from the BJP. Just as everyone has the right to love the country, every citizen also has the right to act according to their conscience,” he said.
Taking a dig at BJP members over the Karnataka Legislative Assembly incident, Hariprasad said the episode highlighted what he described as ambiguity in the party’s position on the issue. He alleged that BJP members opposed the decision to sing only the first two stanzas of “Vande Mataram” in government programmes and proceeded to sing the full version of the song in the Assembly.
“Turning a song into a political weapon while being unable to sing that very song correctly is a political contradiction,” Hariprasad said. He also said the Supreme Court’s remarks would provide relief to those who do not wish to be compelled to sing “Vande Mataram”. (ANI)
