Bengaluru, Sept. 23 -- Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president BK Hariprasad on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court's remarks on singing "Vande Mataram", saying patriotism cannot be imposed and that citizens have the right to act according to their conscience.

In a post on X, Hariprasad said that the Supreme Court had clarified that an individual cannot be treated as a criminal for refusing to sing "Vande Mataram" due to religious beliefs or conscience.

"The Supreme Court has once again clarified the constitutional position that it is not possible to turn an individual into a criminal for not singing 'Vande Mataram'. The court stated during the hearing that no one should be subjected to criminal action if they refuse to s...