The Congress on Friday hit back at Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his remarks on the Vande Mataram controversy, with J&K Congress president Tariq Hamid Karra accusing the National Conference leader’s remarks of being “detached from reality and highly unfortunate”.
Karra’s response came a day after CM Abdullah questioned whether the Congress wanted Kashmiris to be jailed over the issue, after the party criticised the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at the inaugural ceremony of the International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir.
What Congress Said
“How did the “People of Jammu & Kashmir” come into the picture when our expectations were clearly and exclusively from the Government of Jammu & Kashmir? The public has nothing to do with
this debate. It is the government that is expected to stand upright,” Karra wrote on X.
Omar Abdullah Sahib’s comment is detached from reality and therefore highly unfortunate.
How did the “People of Jammu & Kashmir” come into the picture when our expectations were clearly and exclusively from the Government of Jammu & Kashmir?
The public has nothing to do with… pic.twitter.com/eTQAexQlJk
— Tariq Hameed Karra (@TariqKarra) September 11, 2026
He then questioned whether anyone had faced legal action in states where governments had restricted the rendition of the song at official events.
Also Read: Omar Abdullah Breaks Silence On Vande Mataram Row With Ally: ‘Does Congress Want Kashmiris In Jail?’
“Did a single person in Kerala go to jail when its govt chose to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at the Independence Day parade?” Karra asked.
Karra also took aim at Abdullah over the issue of secular and inclusive values, asking whether the chief minister was “capable of standing up for secular and inclusive values like the CMs of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana had done by limiting Vande Mataram singing to first two stanzas at state events?”
Omar, Allies At Loggerheads Over Vande Mataram Rendition
The fresh attack has exposed differences between the Congress and its ally National Conference over the national song, with Abdullah maintaining that government events are bound by the statutory requirement concerning its full rendition.
On Thursday, Abdullah had said the issue had been unnecessarily politicised while responding to Congress criticism of the National Conference over the full version being sung at the Srinagar film festival.
Also Read: ‘Jenab, Take A Look At Your CMs’: Omar Abdullah Reshares Post Mocking Congress Amid ‘Vande Mataram’ Row
“They (Congress) should have stopped this in Parliament. But, a law has been enacted. Now, in a function where two governors, one lieutenant governor, and the acting chief justice of our high court are present, the national anthem will obviously be played,” he told reporters.
Abdullah said the requirement applied across the country and not specifically to Jammu and Kashmir.
‘Does Congress Want Kashmiris To Be Thrown In Jail?’: Omar
“This is not just for Jammu and Kashmir; it applies to the entire country. In states governed by the Congress, the same will happen at government functions,” he said.
He further said legal action could be taken against those who failed to stand during the full rendition of the national song, reiterating his question on whether Congress wanted Kashmiris to be jailed over the matter.
“Does Congress want Kashmiris to be thrown in jail on this issue?” he said.
#WATCH | Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah says, “… A law has been enacted regarding the national song. All verses of Vande Mataram have become mandatory. This applies not just to Jammu and Kashmir, but to the entire country; this is the protocol for… pic.twitter.com/t4o6ESPB6W
— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2026
“This is now a statutory obligation. Even today, at the closing ceremony, a Union minister will be present. The national anthem will be played there, and the national song will be played too,” he added.
The J&K chief minister also said the National Conference had not adopted the full song and would have no objection if a future Congress government chose to revoke the requirement.
Also Read: Abdullahs Stand For Full ‘Vande Mataram’ At Srinagar Event In Fresh Snub To Congress
“When the Congress comes to power, and I pray the Congress comes to power as soon as possible, they can revoke this in Parliament. Let them do it, we have no objection. In fact, as a party, we have never adopted Vande Mataram, and we won’t adopt it in the future either. But whatever our legal and statutory obligations are, we have to fulfil them,” he said.
Abdullah had dismissed the controversy as an attempt to make “a mountain out of a molehill”.
KC Venugopal On Vande Mataram’s Full Rendition
The dispute follows Congress MP KC Venugopal’s remarks on September 8 that the full version of Vande Mataram “sits uneasily” with the syncretic and pluralist ethos envisioned by India’s freedom fighters. He had also urged allies to respect the version of the national song adopted by the Congress in 1937.
The full version of Vande Mataram sits uneasily with the syncretic and pluralist ethos that our freedom fighters envisioned and nurtured for India.
For us, the considered judgment of Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Acharya… pic.twitter.com/VngmVUmevz
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) September 8, 2026
The remarks came on the same day that Omar Abdullah and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah stood through all six stanzas of Vande Mataram at the inaugural International Film Festival in Srinagar, underlining the differences within the INDIA bloc over the issue.
