Gorakhpur: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made a strong pitch for nationalism on Monday, announcing that ‘Vande Mataram’ will now be sung regularly in every school across Uttar Pradesh. The announcement came during an event marking Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary at Lakshmibai Park.
“Nothing is bigger than the nation,” Yogi said, adding that the patriotic song represents the country’s cultural identity. He made it clear that any opposition to it won’t be tolerated. “Attempts to change ‘Vande Mataram’ will not succeed,” he stated.
The CM didn’t hold back while attacking Congress and Samajwadi Party over what he called their “double standards” on nationalism. He brought up a 1923 incident where Mohammad Ali Jauhar, then Congress president, walked out of a session when the song was being sung. According to Yogi, this kind of opposition planted the seeds for India’s partition in 1947.
He went further, claiming Congress tried to water down the song by suggesting only two stanzas be sung instead of all verses. “If they had stood firm on ‘Vande Mataram’ back then and removed Jauhar from his post, we might have avoided partition altogether,” the Chief Minister argued.
Yogi’s speech took a harder turn when he warned against what he called attempts to create “new Jinnahs” through caste and religious divisions. “If anyone tries to become another Jinnah, they’ll be buried,” he said bluntly.
Taking a dig at Samajwadi Party, he pointed out that an SP MP recently objected to the song’s 150th anniversary celebrations. “These same people skip Sardar Patel events but show up to honor Jinnah,” he remarked.
The Chief Minister wrapped up by saying that extremism, naxalism and terrorism continue threatening India’s unity, and those who disrespect freedom fighters are basically encouraging separatist forces.
Also Read | 150 Years of Vande Mataram: The Song That Became India’s Freedom Anthem
