I will not sing Vande Mataram, because my religion does not allow it. Why is there an uproar over Abu Azmi’s statement?

News India Live, Digital Desk: Once again the stir in Maharashtra politics regarding ‘Vande Mataram’ has intensified. The reason is Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi, who has once again made it clear that he will not sing ‘Vande Mataram’. He says that being a true Muslim, he can only bow before Allah and cannot ‘worship’ anyone else. After his statement, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has opened a front against him and the matter has heated up.

What is the whole matter after all?

It all started when BJP invited Abu Azmi to a program to mark the completion of 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’. In response to this invitation, Azmi said that no one can force him to sing this song.

Expressing his views, Azmi said, “Our faith is that we believe in only one Allah. We do not prostrate before anyone, even our mother.” He made the comparison saying that just as you cannot ask a Hindu to offer Namaz, a Muslim should not be forced to sing Vande Mataram.

However, he also clarified that he does not insult the national anthem. Whenever it is played in the House, he stands up in respect to it, but cannot sing it.

BJP gave a sharp reply

As soon as this statement of Abu Azmi came, BJP became the attacker. Many BJP leaders and workers gathered outside Azmi’s Mumbai house and expressed their protest by singing ‘Vande Mataram’. Maharashtra Government Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar also participated in this demonstration.

BJP leaders said that if Abu Azmi has so much problem with the national anthem, then he should leave this country and go to Pakistan. His argument is that if we want to live in India, we will have to respect the symbols of the country.

Azmi’s counter attack on BJP

Azmi has blamed BJP for this entire controversy. He alleges that BJP deliberately gives air to such issues so that a rift can be created between Hindus and Muslims in the society and to earn its political bread.

This is not the first time that Azmi has taken such a stand regarding ‘Vande Mataram’. He has expressed the same opinion on this issue many times before, and every time a political debate erupts over it. Something similar has happened this time too, which has once again started the discussion on the fine line between national symbols and religious faith.