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Indian Hindu, Muslim groups tussle over song
EFLIndia's opposition Hindu nationalists and Muslim groups are heading for a confrontation over a controversial move to get all Indians to sing the national song on the centenary of its adoption next month. The row was sparked this month after the government asked all schools, including Islamic madrasas, to get students to sing the song, which is separate from the national anthem, on Sept. 7. Within days, it backed down and made singing voluntary after Muslim leaders objected. Muslim groups say the Sanskrit language song, "Vande Mataram", penned by Bengali poet Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, has strong connotations of Hindu deity worship because it reveres India as a holy goddess, which is against Islam's basic tenets. But the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pounced on the government's climbdown, saying it smacked of discrimination and encouraged a lack of patriotism. The party said late on Monday that the five states it rules would make the singing of "Vande Mataram" mandatory on Sept. 7 and would act against those disobeying the order. "There are some things which are symbols of national pride and 'Vande Mataram' is one of them. It can't be made optional," said Vijay Kumar Malhotra, a top BJP leader. "We will enforce it, whichever school it is will have to sing it. We will see what action can be taken against those who do not," Malhotra told Reuters. Posted by: ryuge 2006-08-29 |
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