A day after Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah criticised Congress over the Vande Mataram issue, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Karra hit back, saying “Omar Abdullah is detached from reality”.
The CM had questioned the Congress, asking if they wanted Kashmiris to go to jail for opposing the full stanzas of Vande Mataram, which was played during a film festival where both the CM, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and other ministers stood up till the full version was played.
JKPCC president termed CM’s remarks as ‘unfortunate’. “Omar Abdullah Sahib’s comment is detached from reality and therefore highly unfortunate. How did the ‘People of Jammu & Kashmir’ come into the picture when our expectations were clearly and exclusively from the government of J&K? The public has nothing to do with this debate. It is the government that is expected to stand upright,” Karra, who is also a legislator from Central Shalteng, wrote on X.
Karra said since Omar Sahib has raised the issue, it begs two questions. “Did a single person in Kerala go to jail when its government chose to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at the Independence Day parade? Are we wrong to expect our Hon’ble CM to be equally capable of standing up for secular and inclusive values as the CMs of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and now even Karnataka and Telangana have done by limiting Vande Mataram to the first two stanzas at state events?”
{{/usCountry}}Karra said since Omar Sahib has raised the issue, it begs two questions. “Did a single person in Kerala go to jail when its government chose to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at the Independence Day parade? Are we wrong to expect our Hon’ble CM to be equally capable of standing up for secular and inclusive values as the CMs of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and now even Karnataka and Telangana have done by limiting Vande Mataram to the first two stanzas at state events?”
{{/usCountry}}Karra said it is also worth putting on record that the 1st international film festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK) 2026, titled Rang-e-Cinema, was a “state event” organised jointly by the directorate of information and public relations (DIPR), J&K, and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) — and was inaugurated by the CM himself. “So, who else was or wasn’t present is irrelevant — a superfluous detail meant only to distract from the core issue,” he said.
This is the second time in the last three days that Congress has criticised the CM for not opposing the playing of the full Vande Mataram. Congress is an ally of the ruling NC; however, the party did not join the government, saying it won’t take part unless J&K’s statehood is restored. While NC has 42 seats, Congress has six legislators in the 90-member J&K assembly. Both parties had contested the 2024 assembly elections jointly.