Vande Mataram row: Himachal House adjourned in 11 minutes

The inaugural day of the monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly turned tumultuous on Friday due to a disagreement over the singing of the National Song, Vande Mataram. The proceedings were brought to an abrupt halt within 11 minutes of commencing. The day's agenda commenced with the National Anthem, after which BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Vipin Singh Parmar requested that Vande Mataram be sung and sought permission from Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania to raise the issue.

Parmar alleged that the Congress party was "insulting" the National Song by deciding to sing only two verses of Vande Mataram at their events. He claimed that a new law enacted by the Central government mandates the singing of the full version of the National Song first whenever Vande Mataram and the National Anthem are performed together.

Pathania, about to read obituaries, stated that the provision concerning the singing of the National Song is for government events and does not directly apply to the Vidhan Sabha's activities. He reiterated that it is customary for the House to start with the National Anthem and conclude with Vande Mataram. Parmar suggested that the Assembly session should begin with Jana Gana Mana and end with Vande Mataram.

He urged the Opposition to cooperate, assuring that the full version of Vande Mataram would be sung at the session's conclusion. However, the Opposition members, from the treasury benches, began shouting against the ruling Congress. Congress MLA Kewal Singh confronted the Opposition, accusing them of disrespecting the National Anthem.

Singh and other Congress members shouted slogans against the BJP, alleging disrespect towards the National Anthem. Amid the confrontation, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day. Outside the Assembly premises, Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Cabinet Ministers Rajesh Dharmani and Vikramaditya Singh, and the state Congress chief Vinay Kumar, raised slogans against the BJP, alleging that BJP MLAs were "insulting" the National Anthem by raising objections to the tradition of singing it before the National Song.

Sukhu claimed the BJP was "manufacturing" controversy over the national song to distract the public from issues such as inflation, NEET paper leak, corruption, and rising sugar prices. Pathania defended the decision, stating that the House is supreme and that the Vidhan Sabha operates according to its established conventions. He reminded everyone that the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha function according to their respective rules, and the National Anthem is typically sung first in both houses. He reiterated that the House is not subject to any external authority.