New Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, one of India’s leading Muslim organizations, has strongly objected to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks linking the omission of certain verses of Vande Mataram to the Partition of India. The group described the statement as historically inaccurate and harmful to national unity.
Jamiat President Maulana Mahmood Madani said that Rabindranath Tagore himself had advised, in a letter to Jawaharlal Nehru on October 26, 1937, that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram be used as the national song. Tagore explained that the remaining verses, which portray the motherland as goddess Durga, conflict with monotheistic beliefs. Acting on this advice, the Congress Working Committee officially adopted only the first two stanzas on October 29, 1937.
Madani stated that invoking Tagore’s name today to enforce the entire composition misrepresents history and undermines the poet’s original intent to promote unity. He criticized attempts to associate this inclusive decision with Partition, calling it divisive and misleading.
The Jamiat also opposed directives from several states requiring students and parents to sing Vande Mataram and record videos as proof. Madani said such orders violate the constitutional right to religious freedom under Article 25. He reminded that in the 1986 Bijoe Emmanuel case, the Supreme Court ruled no person can be compelled to sing a song that contradicts their faith.
Madani reaffirmed that Indian Muslims’ patriotism is unquestionable and rooted in loyalty and sacrifice. He urged national leaders to avoid politicizing religious and historical issues and to strengthen unity through mutual respect and constitutional values.
