B.D. Borkar petitions Supreme Court against government's 6-stanza 'Vande Mataram'
A new Supreme Court petition is questioning the government's move to make the full six-stanza version of Vande Mataram India's national song.
The petitioner, B.D. Borkar, calls this version a "divisive religious war song" and argues that recent government orders push prayers that could threaten religious freedom and India's secular vibe.
First 2 stanzas avoid religious themes
The plea points out that for decades, only the first two stanzas, focused on India's beauty, were widely accepted because they avoid religious themes.
The full version comes from Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's novel Anandamath, which critics say could stir up communal tensions if enforced.
The Supreme Court recently backed citizens' right to skip parts of the song on religious grounds, echoing its earlier stance on protecting freedom of belief.