‘Will you hang me for not reciting Vande Mataram?’, AIMIM’s Waris Pathan asks Modi regime
New Delhi: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen spokesperson Waris Pathan has strongly opposed attempts to make recitation of ‘Vande Mataram’ compulsory, calling it an assault on religious freedom and constitutional rights, amid the BJP’s push to grant the song legal protection equal to the India’s national anthem.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking to the media after the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was introduced in Rajya Sabha the other day, Pathan said Muslims respect the country and the flag, but cannot recite specific lines of ‘Vande Mataram’ that conflict with Islamic belief.
“I have always said that we respect Vande Mataram. But there are some lines which a Muslim cannot recite. If those lines are spoken, it becomes shirk according to Islamic belief. We do not worship anyone other than Allah, nor will we ever; we would rather die than do so. And this is my constitutional right under Article 25, which the Supreme Court has also upheld,” Pathan said.
Challenging the BJP and RSS, he asked: “I respect my nation, but if I do not recite it, then what will you do? Hang me? Shoot me? The BJP and RSS have nothing to do but to threaten people.” Pathan drew a clear distinction between the national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and ‘Vande Mataram’, saying Muslims recite the anthem “with all our heart and soul” while opposing any coercion on the song.
“If a Muslim’s religion is not allowing them to recite these things, then you start making allegations that they are not patriotic. This is completely wrong. Our people have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of this country,” he added.
The remarks came as the Modi government moves to criminalise disrespect to ‘Vande Mataram’, a step critics say is aimed at targeting Muslims and other minorities under the guise of nationalism.
