# Omar Abdullah says time needed for Vande Mataram, Congress MP refuses to sing 2026-08-17T16:52:51+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said people will need time to adjust to singing Vande Mataram at official functions, as it was included for the first time this year. Speaking on Monday, he noted that at the Independence Day parade, the national song was played before the flag unfurling and the national anthem. He urged patience and said the Congress clarification that all three verses were sung should end the controversy. Separately, Congress MP Imran Masood triggered a fresh row by stating he will never sing the full version of Vande Mataram as it goes against his religious beliefs. He told Times Now that the national anthem should take precedence and that he would stand in respect when the song is played. Masood also questioned the ongoing Jharkhand student protest, claiming Chief Minister Hemant Soren had already accepted the demands. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com - timesnownews.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-17T20:26:02+00:00. Tags: Congress, Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Vande Mataram Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/j-k-cm-says-people-need-time-to-adjust-to-vande-mataram-at-events/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/j-k-cm-says-people-need-time-to-adjust-to-vande-mataram-at-events/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/