While Bharatiya Janata party has been pushing for singing Vande Mataram mandatory in schools, some of its own spokespersons and ministers failed to sing the famous poem from Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Anandamath.
In August, the Uttar Pradesh government issued a circular directing all madarsas (Islamic schools) to hold celebrations on Independence Day and videograph the event. Singing Vande Mataram was a must according to the circular. The BJP also supported Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) move to make singing of Vande Mataram compulsory in all civic schools in Mumbai and also stated that it should be made mandatory in schools across Maharashtra.
During a debate on India Today, UP MoS Minority Welfare, Baldev Singh Aulakh, was seen strongly supporting the UP government’s move. The BJP leader was of the view that Vande Mataram was a must to inculcate national pride.
However, when asked to sing the song he failed to sing even a single verse of Vande Mataram, leaving him and his party red-faced. Maharashtra BJP MLA Raj Purohit, another proponent who supports the move, also failed to sing even a few verses from the National Song.
The latest BJP leader to fail the parameters of patriotism set by his own party is spokesperson Navin Kumar Singh.
While participating in a debate on a private news channel, Singh was told to sing Vande Mataram by AIMPLB member Mufti EA Qasmi. The BJP spokesperson could not sing the song correctly even when he was told to read the text from his cell phone. The video once again exposed the deep-rooted hypocrisy in the saffron party that wants to impose singing the song on others even as its own members were failing to sing.
Singh was at the receiving end of the social media ire who slammed the BJP leader for not practising what his party wanted others to follow.
