As the council met on Friday, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) played a recorded version of Vande Mataram in full through loudspeakers before the meeting started. Congress councillors staged a walkout while the song was being played.
The dispute began when Congress councillors demanded that a separate resolution be introduced on the singing of Vande Mataram. Municipal Chairperson P. Smithesh rejected the demand.
Opposition councillors of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) then entered the well of the council and protested.
Escalates into confrontation
The situation soon escalated into a confrontation between BJP and Congress councillors, with the members pushing and shoving each other.This was not the first dispute in the Palakkad municipality over Vande Mataram. On August 31, UDF councillors had staged a walkout as BJP councillors sang Vande Mataram in full.
The UDF councillors said the front had decided not to sing the national song in full, and that they opposed the BJP’s insistence on it. Traditionally, only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram have been recited at municipal council meetings.
LDF councillors also did not sing the song in full. They returned to their seats after the first two stanzas were sung.
