New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday submitted a formal factual record in a letter to the Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan concerning instances of “unacceptable conduct” toward India’s national song, ‘Vande Mataram’.
The submission was made following a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the 150th anniversary of the song’s composition, during which HM Shah had referenced such incidents, leading to a request from MP Jairam Ramesh for reliable information to be placed on the table of the House.
The document, dated December 9, 2025, serves as a record of facts concerning questions raised during the debate. Home Minister Shah requested the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha to include these facts in the official records of the Upper House.
The enclosed record details nine specific incidents spanning from 2018 to 2025 involving members from various political parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), National Conference (JKNC), and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). These incidents are categorised under “unacceptable conduct” concerning the national song.
The submitted record outlines a series of incidents, primarily focused on the refusal to sing or stand for ‘Vande Mataram,’ often citing religious grounds.
In December 2025, both Imran Masood (Congress MP) and Agha Syed Mehdi (National Conference) reportedly refused to sing the song, with Masood citing religious belief.
In 2019, SP’s Shafiqur Rahman Barq stated he would not sing ‘Vande Mataram’ during his Lok Sabha oath. His grandson, Ziaurrahman Barq (SP), supported this stance in 2025.
Other documented events include Congress MLA Arif Masood’s 2019 refusal, also based on religious doctrine.
In a 2018 Congress rally, the song was allegedly cut short, with K.C. Venugopal instructing it to be finished in a single line.
Furthermore, Congress leader and Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah was reported in 2022 to have asked party workers not to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ at a Constitution Day event.
The document also notes the Samajwadi Party’s 2025 demand to cancel an order making the song mandatory in schools and RJD MLA Saud Alam’s refusal to stand for the song in the Assembly in 2025.
(IANS)
