K. Vikas Hegde, spokesperson for the Congress party in Kundapura, has publicly demanded that the BJP stop turning the Vande Mataram song into a political weapon. Speaking on behalf of the district unit, he addressed the recent foot march (padayatra) organised by the Kundapura Mandal BJP that centres on the national anthem controversy.
The Congress clarified that it does not oppose a peaceful march by the BJP on the Vande Mataram issue. What Hegde described as “shameful” is the party’s attempt to use the song to score political points. He reminded listeners that Congress workers have sung Vande Mataram since school days and will continue to do so, without any external diktat on how many verses must be rendered or in what style.
According to Hegde, the BJP lacks the moral authority to lecture Congress members on patriotism, especially when the latter’s freedom fighters once secured India’s independence. He warned that demanding a specific rendition of the anthem amounts to “hypocritical patriotism” that undermines genuine national pride.
In the same press release, Hegde suggested that the MPs and MLAs leading the Kundapura to Sasthana march broaden their agenda. He listed a series of local grievances that, in his view, deserve equal attention: unresolved national highway problems, coastal CRZ challenges, the Kundapura Town Municipality’s untreated‑ground‑drain (UGD) issues, chronic parking shortages, the long‑awaited Deputy Transport Commissioner office in Kundapura, a solid waste management unit for Saligrama Town Panchayat, service roads for Gram Panchayats alongside the highway, drainage bottlenecks, obstacles hindering commercial and residential construction, the pressing need for government bus services for students and the public, schools operating with zero teachers near the highway, and the persistent problem at the Koteshwara auto‑rickshaw stand.
Image for illustration purposes only
📰 Source: Kundapra