‘Unilateral and coercive decision’: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind slams MHA for making all 6 stanzas of Vande Mataram mandatory | India News

3 min readFeb 12, 2026 02:41 PM IST

After the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram will be sung first when the National Song and National Anthem are played together, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Thursday called it “unilateral” and “arbitrary”, claiming that it was a “blatant attack” on the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution.

In a statement, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani said Muslims do not prevent anyone from singing or playing Vande Mataram, but some verses of the song are based on beliefs that portray the homeland as a deity, which contradict the fundamental belief of monotheistic religions.

He said that the Centre’s “unilateral and coercive decision” to mandate all stanzas of Vande Mataram to be sung in all government programmes, schools, colleges, and functions is not only a “blatant attack on the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution of India, but also a systematic attempt to curtail the constitutional rights of minorities”.

“Since a Muslim worships only one Allah, forcing him to sing this song is a clear violation of Article 25 of the Constitution and several judgments of the Supreme Court,” he wrote.

In his statement, Madani also said that making the song mandatory and attempting to impose it on citizens is not an expression of patriotism, but reflects electoral politics, a sectarian agenda, and a deliberate effort to divert public attention from fundamental issues.

“The true measure of love for one’s country lies not in slogans but in character and sacrifice. The shining examples of which can be seen prominently in the historic struggle of Muslims and the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind. Such decisions weaken the country’s peace, unity, and democratic values and undermine the spirit of the Constitution,” Madani said.

Making Vande Mataram compulsory is a clear assault on the Constitution, religious freedom, and democratic principles, he said.

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During a recent discussion on Vande Mataram in Parliament, Muslim MPs, including AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, argued that forcibly imposing Vande Mataram goes against the Constitution.

The Hyderabad MP said that singing Vande Mataram can’t be the yardstick of patriotism.

“If you call Bharat a Devi, you are turning nationalism and patriotism into religion. It was said here that if one has to live in India, they have to recite Vande Mataram. This is against the Constitution and the orders of the Supreme Court,” he had said during the debate in Lok Sabha.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued the first set of protocols for singing Vande Mataram to the police chiefs and chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories. It directed that six stanzas, lasting 3 minutes and 10 seconds, must be sung at official events such as the President’s arrival, the unfurling of the tricolour, and governors’ speeches.

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Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express.

During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state.

During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute.

Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor.

Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor’s degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. … Read More

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