Srinagar, Sept 10: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday hit back at the Congress over its objection to the full rendition of Vande Mataram, asking whether the party wanted Kashmiris to be put in jail for failing to stand during the national song.
Talking to reporters in Srinagar, Omar said the issue was no longer about political preference as the full rendition of Vande Mataram had become a statutory obligation.
"Either they (Congress) should have stopped this in Parliament. But the law has been made," Omar said.
He said official functions attended by constitutional authorities would necessarily include the national anthem and, under the new requirement, the full stanzas of Vande Mataram.
"Now, the function in which there are two Governors, one Lieutenant Governor and the Acting Chief Justice of our High Court, there will definitely be a national anthem. And this year, where there is a national anthem, the full stanzas of Vande Mataram have become compulsory. And this is not just for Jammu and Kashmir, it is for the whole country," he said.
Omar said the requirement would apply to government functions in Congress-ruled states as well and warned that those refusing to stand could face legal action.
"If this does not happen, then the people who do not stand up can be legally prosecuted. So, what does the Congress want? That Kashmiris should be put in jail for this reason?" he asked.
"This is a statutory obligation," he added.
His remarks came amid a controversy triggered after the full version of Vande Mataram was played at the opening function of the International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir (IFFJK), where Omar and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah were present and were seen standing during the rendition.
Senior Congress leader K C Venugopal had subsequently posted a video of the event and urged the party's allies to follow the curtailed version of the national song adopted by the country's freedom fighters.
Omar said that he prays that a Congress government should come to power and abolish the full rendition of Vande Mataram.
"I pray that the Congress government comes soon and abolishes this in Parliament. We have no objection," he said.
The CM said NC had not changed its political position on Vande Mataram.
"We have never accepted Vande Mataram as a party. We will not accept it in the future either. But we will have to fulfil our legal and statutory obligations," he said.