When the singing of Vande Mataram concluded, BJP members decided to start a protest on the spot
The controversy over the singing of Vande Mataram in the civic body of Meerut, a town in western Uttar Pradesh, surfaced again today, with a clash between the BJP and Mayawati's party that swamped the oath ceremony. While there was no actual violence, slogans were shouted, posters torn and the ceremony ended amid chaos.
The BJP has a numerical edge in the Meerut civic body, winning 38 of its 90 seats. But the Mayor's post has gone to Mayawati's party, which has also won 28 seats.
This morning, as all civic bodies across the state held oath ceremonies for the new representatives, trouble broke out in Meerut corporation, where a move to make Vande Mataram compulsory was made after the Yogi Adityanath government came to power in March. At the time,
seven Muslim corporators had faced expulsion after they refused to sing along.Today, once the oath was over, the BJP members stood up and started singing the national song. Guests -- assembled politicians and government and civic officials -- followed suit. But the newly elected mayor of Mayawati's party, Sunita Verma, was seen sitting, pushing corporators from opposition parties to follow her example.
When the song concluded, the BJP members decided to start a protest on the spot. Slogans of
"Jai Shri Ram" and Vande Mataram were heard, which was countered by slogans of
"Jai Bheem" by the BSP side.
The BJP supporters then proceeded to tear up the posters put up by Mayawati's party outside the venue, saying party posters were not allowed in the building after the elections. The trouble finally stopped only after intervention of supporters from both sides.
"I want to work with everyone, we are not here to fight," said Sunita Verma, indicating it was the BJP's mistake to sing Vande Mataram instead of Jana Gana Mana. "On Vande Mataram, what is written in the constitution should happen. Jana Gana Mana should happen," she added.
While Vande Mataram, a poem by Bankimchandra Chatterjee, has been accorded the status of national song, it does not have any constitutional validity. The constitution has provision only for national anthem. Making Vande Mataram compulsory has been a controversial issue, with a section of Muslims, staring with Mohammad Ali Jinnah before Independence, arguing that the worship of the motherland violates the tenets of Islam.
In July, the Madras High Court made singing of the national song mandatory in schools across Tamil Nadu, at least twice a week. The order said the song can also be played in other government and private establishments at least once in a month. The court had, however, added that if any person or organisation has difficulty singing or playing the song, they should not be compelled to sing it, provided they have valid reasons.
In November, the civic body in Rajasthan's Jaipur ordered all its employees to sing the national anthem in the morning and Vande Mataram in the evening. Attendance was made compulsory.