The present PIL, filed by BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, seeks equal status for national song ‘Vande Mataram’ with the national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’.
The plea argues that the song ‘Vande Mataram’ played a historic part in India’s freedom struggle and should be honoured and granted status equal to the national anthem.
He has said that giving equal status to ‘Vande Mataram’ would be in the spirit of the statement made by Constituent Assembly President Dr Rajendra Prasad.
The plea demanded that Central and State governments should ensure that both the national anthem and ‘Vande Mataram’ is played and sung in all schools and educational institutions on every working day.
Upadhyay has argued that the sentiments expressed in ‘Jana Gana Mana’ have been expressed keeping the State in view. However, sentiments expressed in ‘Vande Mataram’ denote the nation’s character and style and therefore deserve similar respect.
He added that ‘Vande Mataram’ is the symbol of India’s history, sovereignty, unity and pride and if any citizen by any cover or overt act shows disrespect to it, it would not only be anti-social activity but would also spell doom to all our rights and very existence.
“Every citizen must therefore not only refrain from any such activities but also do his best to prevent any miscreant trying to show any disrespect to ‘Vandemataram’. We must be proud of our Nation, our Constitution, National Anthem and National Flag and put national interest above our personal interests and only then will we be able to protect our hard-earned freedom and sovereignty. It is the duty of the executive to frame a national policy to promote and propagate ‘Vandemataram’,” the plea reads.
The first two stanzas in the poem Vande Mataram, written by Bengali writer and journalist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, were adopted as the national song by independent India’s Constituent Assembly in 1950, but there is no mention of the same in the Constitution.
Source: Barandbench
