New Delhi: Former Babri Masjid litigant Iqbal Ansari on Wednesday welcomed the Union Home Ministry’s fresh guidelines mandating the rendition of all six stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ at designated government functions and in schools, saying the move was in the interest of the nation and should not be opposed.
Speaking to IANS, Ansari said, “It is a good thing. Everyone should say ‘Vande Mataram’. We also say it. There is nothing wrong in it. Some people try to find fault in everything.”
He added that the song had been part of the curriculum since primary school. “We have studied from primary to high school and intermediate, and it was taught from the primary level itself. Now the government has made it mandatory, which is a very good step. Everyone should recite ‘Vande Mataram’. There should be no discrimination in this. Along with education, it is also very important. People have been reciting it earlier as well, and they will continue to do so,” he said.
Responding to those opposing the proposal, Ansari remarked that a few individuals tend to object whenever something good is done.
The new rules state that when both the national song and the national anthem are performed at the same event, ‘Vande Mataram’ must precede ‘Jana Gana Mana’. The Ministry has also clarified that those present are required to stand to attention during the rendition of the national song. However, this requirement will not apply in cinema halls when the song is played as part of a film or documentary.
Until now, ‘Vande Mataram’ did not have a clearly defined national protocol, unlike the national anthem, which is governed by formal rules. The Centre said the move aims to remove what it described as an artificial distinction between “acceptable” and “excluded” verses and to treat the song as a complete composition as originally written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
The guidelines come amid the Narendra Modi government’s year-long programme marking 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’ and follow an extended parliamentary debate on its usage.
(IANS)
