BELAGAVI: Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) rendered the full version of Vande Mataram at its 26th annual convocation in Belagavi on Saturday, following a direction from Governor and VTU Chancellor Thaawarchand Gehlot.
The rendition came amid a row over the Karnataka government’s September 8 order limiting the National Song to its first two stanzas at state government functions. The Governor had subsequently written to Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, asking the government to reconsider the order and follow the prevailing Central guidelines.
At the VTU convocation, the full six-stanza rendition of Vande Mataram was performed in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddy, along with Governor Gehlot. The Governor had specifically directed VTU, in his capacity as Chancellor, to ensure that the complete version of Vande Mataram was sung at the convocation.
The issue had gained attention after the state government decided that only the first two stanzas should ordinarily be sung at official programmes, while the complete version would be rendered when the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister or Governor was present.
Gehlot, in his communication to the Chief Minister, argued that the state order was contrary to the Central government’s guidelines on the National Song and raised constitutional and statutory concerns. He urged the government to reconsider the decision to avoid a conflict between state instructions and the Union protocol.
