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Vande Mataram row

The row triggered by the statement of Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh that the rendition of Vande Mataram on September 7 — as per a Central directive to the States — is not mandatory is painful. So is the Jama Masjid Imam's observation that the rendition of Vande Mataram is against the tenets of Islam. If the minorities make an issue of such matters of national importance, how can they be part of the national mainstream?

N.R. Radhakrishnan,
Chennai

Some fringe elements indulge in rabble rousing just to remain in the news. The Government obliges them, ignoring the views of a vast majority of Muslims. The entire community suffers because of the irresponsible utterances of a few.

M.M. Kotian,
Bangalore

The Imam does not speak for all Indian Muslims. I have read Vande Mataram and its translation and there is nothing in it that hurts Muslims or Islam. It is an invocation to the spirit of India and should be sung by all Indians.

M. Riaz Hasan,
Pinner, Middlesex

According to Mr. Singh, the directive never said the singing of Vande Mataram would be compulsory on September 7. He only asked for it to be sung that day, he maintains. Is this the case with all the directives issued to the States by the Central Government? Can all its directives be ignored henceforth?

Hilda Raja,
Chennai

It is unfortunate that some leaders have opposed the singing of Vande Mataram on the plea that forcing Muslims to sing it would amount to suppression. The song is in praise of our motherland, rivers, and mountains.

B. Vishwanatha Rao,
Hyderabad

Indeed, we must respect the national song. But how can we accept a battle cry that encouraged the people to fight against a community? Vande Mataram appears in the Bengali novel Anand Math in an anti-Muslim context. A country like India that adheres to the lofty ideals of secularism cannot force anyone to recite such a controversial poem.

Kalim Ahmed,
Kozhikode, Kerala

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