Bengal Makes Vande Mataram Compulsory in Schools; Gets Mixed Welcome

The new and ninth West Bengal Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, shared the notification issued by the state School Education Department's administrative branch on the wall of his official social media handle on Thursday evening.​

"It is hereby ordered that, in supersession of all previous orders and practices, the Government of West Bengal has mandated the singing of the National Song of Bharat, Vande Mataram, during school assembly prayers before commencement of classes in all schools under the School Education Department across West Bengal, effective immediately," read the notification issued by the Additional Chief Secretary to the state Education Department.​

Already, all the major political parties in West Bengal, both ruling and Opposition, have welcomed the move.​

However, the Opposition parties in the state have demanded that the national anthem, 'Jana Gana Mana', penned by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, should not be compromised in any way because of the state government's decision on 'Vande Mataram', penned by another iconic Bengali writer, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.​

The state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that singing Vande Mataram in schools would instil a sense of national pride and patriotism among students.​

The principal Opposition party in the state now, the Trinamool Congress, on the other hand, said that it had no issue with the song being sung in schools as it was penned by a Bengali, provided that the state government's decision does not overshadow the message of secularism, brotherhood, and amity in the state.​

The West Bengal unit of Congress claimed that there is nothing objectionable about making the singing of 'Vande Mataram' compulsory in state-run schools, provided the state government's decision does not override 'Jana Gana Mana' in any way.​

A similar opinion was also expressed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leadership.​

- IANS