BJP raps Arjun over 'Vande Mataram' issue
NEW DELHI: BJP on Monday accused HRD minister Arjun Singh of surrendering
to anti-national forces by declaring that there was no compulsion on schoolchildren to sing "Vande Mataram on September 7 - the centenary of its adoption as the national song.
BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra also lashed out at Muslim clerics opposing the
government directive on the national song, demanding that they be booked for sedition.
"The HRD
minister's remarks that there will be no compulsion to sing 'Vande Mataram is a sign of abject surrender to fundamentalists and anti-nationals who should rather have been told to leave India if they do not want to recite the national song, Malhotra said.
Refusing to join issue with its rivals, Congress said the government had issued a directive to schools to sing the first two stanzas of the song in recognition of its history in inspiring generations of Indians. "Congress and the country are proud of this song, party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said.
On Muslim clerics' objection to 'Vande Mataram, he said the government directive did not make it obligatory for any group to sing the national song. "It is not compulsory for anyone to sing the song," he said referring to the HRD minister's clarification in this regard.