Now Reading: Opposing Vande Mataram is anti-national, says Scindia
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Opposing Vande Mataram is anti-national, says Scindia
Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday that anyone opposing Vande Mataram should be considered anti-national. Speaking to reporters in Indore, the telecom minister said every citizen must accept the national song…
Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday that anyone opposing Vande Mataram should be considered anti-national. Speaking to reporters in Indore, the telecom minister said every citizen must accept the national song with respect.
He was responding to the Congress party's decision to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at its events. The Congress Working Committee last week said it would abide by its 1937 resolution, which limited singing to the first two stanzas, a move originally endorsed by Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, and Rabindranath Tagore to respect India's multi-faith fabric.
The BJP has accused the Congress of insulting national heritage and has launched a nationwide campaign to promote the full six-stanza version.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The 1937 Congress resolution cited by the party is rooted in a long-standing compromise over the song's later stanzas, which contain verses that some Muslim and Sikh leaders of the time found incompatible with their faith. The debate has resurfaced multiple times since Independence, most notably in 2006 when the Supreme Court ruled that Vande Mataram is equal in status to the national anthem but did not mandate singing it. The political stakes are high ahead of upcoming assembly elections in several states, with both parties using national symbols to rally their respective bases. The BJP's campaign will test whether the Congress's historical defence resonates beyond its core supporters.
Source: english.mathrubhumi.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
