A protest was staged in Belagavi on Friday, with demonstrators marching from Rani Chennamma Circle to the District Collector’s office while singing the full “Vande Mataram”. They demanded that the state government rescind its order that limits the national song to two stanzas and issue a fresh directive to perform the entire composition at all official events, arguing that the restriction undermines the song’s historic significance. The gathering, which drew local leaders and citizens, highlighted concerns that the abridgment could set a precedent for curtailing cultural symbols.
Leaders of the procession condemned the decision, calling the two‑stanza restriction “condemnable” and insisting that “Vande Mataram,” a song that ignited the nation’s freedom struggle, should not be curtailed for the appeasement of any community. Rajya Sabha member M. Nagaraja, who also serves as the BJP’s national unit vice‑president, said the move taken during the song’s 150‑year commemoration was “unfortunate” and an insult to freedom fighters, adding that the anthem is a symbol of patriotism and that limiting it undermines the history of the independence movement.
Among those present were Subhash Patil, president of the party’s rural district unit, former legislators Mahantesh Doddagoudar and Aravind Patil, and party leaders MB Ziralli, Geeta Sutar, Pramod Kocheri and Dr. Sonali Sarnobat, who joined the march and voiced their opposition to the government’s order.
