‘Vande Mataram’ should not be forced on those who do not wish to sing it': AIUDF’s Rafiqul Islam

All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) leader Rafiqul Islam has said that there should be no objection to people singing Vande Mataram voluntarily, but argued that it should not be made compulsory for those who do not wish to sing it.

Speaking on the ongoing debate over the national song, Islam said people should be free to choose whether to sing Vande Mataram, and that one person's faith or religious practice should not be imposed on another.

“Those who wish to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ out of choice may certainly do so. We have no objection to that. But it should not be forcibly imposed on those who do not wish to sing it,” Islam said.

He said the song was sung as an expression of devotion to the nation but noted that some of its stanzas contain references to worship and adoration.

Islam said the issue should be viewed from the perspective of religious beliefs, particularly those of Muslims, who, according to him, worship and bow only before Allah.

“One person's faith should not be imposed upon another's,” he said, adding that while Hindus are free to worship their chosen deities, Muslims should not be compelled to worship or bow before any deity other than Allah.

He urged the government to take this perspective into consideration while dealing with the issue and maintained that singing the song should remain a matter of individual choice rather than compulsion.