Karnataka government orders only first two verses of Vande Mataram at state events

Karnataka's Congress government led by Chief Minister DK Shivakumar issued an order on Thursday directing that only the first two verses of Vande Mataram be sung at state government events. However, the order includes a provision allowing all six verses when the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, or Governor are personally present at an event.

The move comes as the BJP-led Union government has made singing all six verses of the national song mandatory at all government functions. Karnataka's directive appears to take a different approach, restricting the practice to two verses as a default at state-level programmes.