Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Monday that the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ will be made compulsory in all schools and educational institutions across the state.
Addressing an ‘Ekta Yatra’ (Unity March) event in Gorakhpur, the UP CM stated that this measure is intended to instill feelings of reverence and pride toward Bharat Mata and the motherland among the state’s citizens.
“There should be a sense of respect for the national song Vande Mataram. We will make its singing compulsory in every school and educational institution of Uttar Pradesh,” Adityanath was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.
⚔️ Political Slugfest Over Vande Mataram History
Adityanath’s announcement comes amid a heated political debate ignited by comments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.
- PM Modi’s Claim: PM Modi had alleged on Friday that important stanzas of “Vande Mataram” were dropped in 1937, claiming that this act sowed the seeds of partition and reflected a “divisive mindset” that remains a challenge for the country. The Prime Minister made these comments while inaugurating the year-long commemoration of the national song to mark its 150th anniversary.
- Congress Hits Back: The Congress party has strongly demanded an apology from PM Modi, asserting on Sunday that the Prime Minister had “insulted” both the 1937 Congress Working Committee (CWC) and Rabindranath Tagore.
📜 Congress Cites Tagore’s Influence
Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh took to X (formerly Twitter) to counter the Prime Minister’s claims, listing the stalwarts present at the 1937 CWC meeting in Kolkata, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Ramesh highlighted historical records: “The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi Volume 66, page 46, reveals that on October 28, 1937, the CWC issued a statement on Vande Mataram, and this statement had been profoundly influenced by Rabindranath Tagore and his advice,” he wrote.
Ramesh concluded by stating, “The prime minister has insulted this CWC as well as Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. That he should have done so is shocking but not surprising since the RSS had played no role in our freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.”
The opposition party urged PM Modi to apologize and focus his political battles on current issues of daily concern instead of historical disputes.
🗓️ Vande Mataram: A Historical Note
The national song, Vande Mataram, was first published by Bankim Chandra Chatterji in the Bangadarshan magazine on November 7, 1875. It was first publicly sung by Rabindranath Tagore at a session of the Indian National Congress in 1896.