New Delhi: AIMIM chief and senior MP Asaduddin Owaisi said the government should not pressure Muslims to recite or chant Vande Mataram. He said this would violate freedom of speech and choice. He made the remarks during the Lok Sabha discussion on the 150 year milestone of the national song.
Owaisi said patriotism cannot be linked to any religion or identity. He said such an approach weakens constitutional values and increases social division. He reminded the House that the Constitution begins with “We the People” and does not refer to any deity. He said the Preamble protects liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship. He said the State does not belong to any one religion.
He said the Constituent Assembly debated Vande Mataram while drafting the Constitution. He said the idea of placing the name of a goddess in the Preamble was discussed and rejected. He said this showed the intent of the framers to maintain neutrality in public life.
Owaisi also said Indian Muslims rejected Jinnah during partition. He said they chose to stay in India and saw the country as their home. He said political groups that now speak about loyalty had leaders who formed coalition governments with the Muslim League in 1942 in the North West Frontier Province, Sindh and Bengal. He said those governments recruited large numbers of Muslims and Hindus into the British Indian Army during World War II.
He said court rulings have made it clear that Vande Mataram cannot serve as a test of loyalty. He said love for one’s country is natural, and forcing a religious text as proof of patriotism is against constitutional norms.
