Vande Mataram first, Jana Gana Mana second: Indian Home Ministry
New Delhi: The Indian Home Ministry has mandated that whenever both ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Jana Gana Mana’ are performed at official events, ‘Vande Mataram’ must be played or sung first, followed by the National Anthem
According to Kashmir Media Service, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Arvind Khare in a letter sent to the Chief Secretaries of the states and Secretaries of the Ministries on July 9 said that under the existing orders regarding the national song, when both the national song and the national anthem are played, Vande Mataram will be given priority and it will be sung or played first.
The letter also directed that while playing the national song and the national anthem, their correct text, pronunciation and delivery should be strictly adhered to. The Home Ministry has also ordered the states to ensure strict implementation of these instructions.
A report in the Indian newspaper ‘The Hindu’ said that the Indian cabinet on May 5 this year also approved an amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, to make insulting or obstructing the performance of Vande Mataram a punishable offence.
A bill for this purpose will be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament, which begins on July 20. Currently, under the 1971 law, insulting the national anthem ‘Jan Gun Man’, the national flag and the Constitution of India can be punished with imprisonment for up to three years, fine or both.
It may be recalled that ‘Vande Mataram’ was written by Bankam Chandra Chattopadhyay for his novel ‘Anand Math’ in the 1880s.
The Indian National Congress had decided to use its first two stanzas in its party functions. It has been given the status of a national song in the Indian Constitution.
The last few stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ are against the beliefs of Islam and, therefore, the Hindutva Indian ruling party BJP is bent on promoting it as much as possible, which is a clear manifestation of its anti-Muslim sentiment.
