Karnataka Congress Laid Foundations of Nationhood, Says D.K. Shivakumar

Bangalore, Feb 2026 : Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and state Congress President D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday strongly asserted that the Congress party has played a foundational role in shaping modern India, stating that it was the party that laid the ideological and institutional groundwork for the nation.

Speaking to reporters at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, Shivakumar said, “It is our party that laid the foundation for ‘Vande Mataram’. It is our party that gave this country the national flag, the national anthem, the Constitution, and ultimately Independence. Ours is the party that has served this nation.” He added that it gave the Congress a sense of satisfaction to see other political parties now following the same path. “Now the BJP and others are following us. That itself gives us happiness,” he remarked.

Responding to questions on demands from some quarters to accord ‘Vande Mataram’ the same status as the national anthem and make it mandatory, Shivakumar said the Congress has always shown respect to the song. “We sing ‘Vande Mataram’ at every stage while beginning our programmes. We respect it and we follow it,” he said, underlining that the party’s commitment to national symbols was consistent and long-standing.

Referring to Karnataka’s cultural and inclusive traditions, Shivakumar recalled a key decision taken during the tenure of former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna. “We made Kuvempu’s ‘Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate’ compulsory as the state anthem. It contains the line ‘Sarvajanangada Shantiya Thota’, meaning a garden of peace for all communities,” he explained. He pointed out that the anthem explicitly refers to Hindus, Christians, and Muslims, reflecting Karnataka’s pluralistic ethos. “Ours is a garden of peace for all communities. We are the ones who have grown up on such soil,” he said.

When asked whether such steps could lead to the perception of having two national anthems, Shivakumar chose to defer a direct response, saying, “We will speak about that later.”

On political developments within the state, including comments made by his brother and former Congress MP D.K. Suresh regarding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah keeping his promises, Shivakumar remained guarded. “Time will give the answer. Only we know what we have spoken about,” he said, adding that he would speak at the appropriate time.

Asked about a possible meeting with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Shivakumar said he had only visited the Congress office and was currently focused on election-related responsibilities in Assam. “Why discuss different issues in different ways? I will speak about this later. Time will give the answer,” he concluded.