"Want Kashmiris In Jail?" Omar Abdullah Snaps At Congress On Full Vande Mataram

"Do you want Kashmiris to be thrown in jail?" Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has snapped back at ally Congress over its "advice" to the National Conference on the issue of Vande Mataram.

The Congress had objected to the full Vande Mataram being played at the opening of the film festival in Srinagar. The Congress had pointed out its resolution of sticking to only two stanzas, and had asked its ally National Conference to do so as well.

Hitting back at the Congress, Omar Abdullah pointed out that there is a law for the entire country now mandating full rendition of Vande Mataram at official events, adding that non-compliance may lead to action.

"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 government functions nationwide. Failure to comply will result in action," Abdullah said.

"Does Congress want Kashmiris to be thrown in jail on this issue?" he snapped back at the ally.

The National Conference and Congress are partners in the INDIA alliance, and the Congress also supports the Omar Abdullah government from outside.

Read | Abdullahs Stand For Full Vande Mataram, Congress Objects, Told To Sit Down

He said the national anthem and the national song would also be performed at the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival.

"As a party, we have never adopted Vande Mataram, nor will we do so in the future, but we must comply with legal obligations," the Chief Minister said.

This comes after Congress MP KC Venugopal on September 8 said the full version of Vande Mataram "sits uneasily" with the syncretic and pluralist ethos envisioned by India's freedom fighters, and urged the party's 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

Reacting to the suggestion, the National Conference had said that the Congress cannot dictate to alliance partners on the issue.

On September 7, Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah stood through the full rendition of Vande Mataram at the inaugural International Film Festival in Srinagar. The Abdullahs stood through all six stanzas of the song, highlighting differences within the INDIA bloc over the issue.

Read | Only 2 Paras Of Vande Mataram to Be Sung: Karnataka Order Sets Stage For Row

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) last month decided to abide by the 1937 resolution of its highest decision-making body on Vande Mataram, saying only two stanzas of the National Song would be sung at all party events henceforth.

The Congress decision came after the BJP accused its leaders of insulting Vande Mataram by not singing the full version at party events.

The Centre earlier this year mandated that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram must be played before Jana Gana Mana at all government events, schools, and official ceremonies.

The BJP had also hit out at the Congress for its objection to the full Vande Mataram. BJP MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the party's objection to singing the full version left no doubt that it had become a new Muslim League of the 21st century. The Congress stands "completely isolated" on this issue, Trivedi said.

"This makes it clear that the 'dimaagi Naxal' Congress has now transformed into a 'Muslim League Congress' and has completely surrendered to fundamentalist forces," the BJP Rajya Sabha MP said.