Archive · 24 Aug 2026
BJP Protests Vande Mataram Row at Shimla Ridge
BJP leaders and party workers held a protest in Shimla.
They sang Vande Mataram near a statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
They said the entire National Song should be sung in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.
The BJP claimed the song was listed for discussion but was later removed.
Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said the House follows its own established rules.
Under those rules, the National Anthem begins proceedings and the National Song ends them.
The Congress and BJP have disagreed about how the song should be handled.
Their disagreement has contributed to disruptions during the Assembly’s monsoon session.
BJP leaders and hundreds of workers sang Vande Mataram at Shimla’s Ridge on Sunday.
The protest was led by Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur and lasted about one and a half hours.
The BJP alleged that the complete National Song was removed from the Himachal Pradesh Assembly’s proposed business.
Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said the Assembly follows rules requiring the National Anthem at the opening and the National Song at the conclusion.
The Congress and BJP have clashed over the issue, with the Assembly adjourned during the first two days of its monsoon session.
- Who
- BJP leaders and workers, led by Jairam Thakur, protested against the Congress government; Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania defended the Assembly’s procedures.
- What
- The protesters sang Vande Mataram and demanded that the complete National Song be sung in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.
- When
- Sunday; the Assembly’s monsoon session was underway, with the first two days affected by adjournments.
- Where
- The Ridge in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, and the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.
- Why
- The BJP alleged that the complete song was removed from the Assembly’s proposed business, while the Speaker said the House follows its own rules and traditions.
BJP’s Position
Congress Government and Speaker’s Position
Handling of Vande Mataram
BJP’s Position
The BJP demanded that the complete National Song be sung in the Assembly and alleged that it was removed from the proposed business before proceedings began.
Congress Government and Speaker’s Position
Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said the Assembly follows established rules under which proceedings begin with the National Anthem and conclude with the National Song.
Cause of the confrontation
BJP’s Position
Jairam Thakur alleged that the Congress government failed to respond positively to the demand and created a confrontation.
Congress Government and Speaker’s Position
The Speaker said the Assembly operates under its own rules and traditions, and that a Parliament law on the National Song applies to Parliament and Central government institutions rather than automatically changing state Assembly procedures.
Historical interpretation
BJP’s Position
Thakur referred to the Congress’s 1937 decision to adopt only selected stanzas and cited a 1938 letter from Jawaharlal Nehru to Muhammad Ali Jinnah as evidence of objections to parts of the song.
Congress Government and Speaker’s Position
The article reports the BJP’s historical claims but does not provide a response from the Congress to those specific references.
- Protest location
- The Ridge, Shimla
- Protest duration
- About one and a half hours
- Protest leader
- Jairam Thakur, Leader of the Opposition and former chief minister
- Main demand
- That the complete Vande Mataram be sung in the Assembly with due honour and respect
- Assembly procedure
- The National Anthem begins proceedings and the National Song concludes them
- Session status
- The Himachal Pradesh Assembly’s monsoon session was underway, and the House was adjourned on its first two days
- Speaker’s position
- The Assembly’s rules, conventions and traditions cannot be changed by individual members