Dimapur: The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) on Thursday warned against any attempt to introduce or play Vande Mataram in institutions across Nagaland, days after legislators across parties objected to the playing of the national song during the ongoing budget session of the House, terming it an imposition.“Any attempts to enforce or institutionalise the recitation of such a song within the Nagaland legislative assembly or any public institution in the Naga homeland directly violates the spirit and safeguards enshrined under Article 371(A),” NSF said in a statement, adding that portraying the song as secular ignores legitimate concerns.
The Constitution’s Article 371(A) provides special protections to Nagaland and shields local practices from central directives, made the matter fit for detailed reviewThe row started after Vande Mataram was played before the national anthem at the start of the budget session on Tuesday, following a directive from ministry of home affairs (MHA) requiring states and Union Territories to perform the national song at official events and to play it first when both are included.During the motion of thanks to the governor’s address, several MLAs opposed the playing of the national song, calling it ‘unfair’ for a Christian majority state. According to the 2011 Census, 87.93% of Nagaland’s population is Christian. The 60-member Nagaland House is the only assembly in the country that is without any opposition.CM Neiphiu Rio said in the House later on Tuesday that the issue of reciting Vande Mataram should be referred to a select committee of the assembly for detailed examination, including legal consultation, before arriving at a considered decision.Responding to the debate, BJP MLA and cabinet minister Temjen Imna Along urged assembly members to view the national song in its historical and secular context. He reminded them that Vande Mataram was adopted by the Constituent Assembly in 1950 as the national song, symbolising India’s struggle against colonial rule. He stressed that the song should not be seen as a religious imposition. He also said the MHA directive should not be interpreted as infringing Article 371(A) or Christian faith.NSF on Thursday condemned BJP legislator Along for defending the recitation of Vande Mataram in the assembly, saying it was ‘deeply regrettable’ that he continued to justify and normalise its imposition despite unequivocal opposition expressed earlier.“By advocating for the normalisation of Vande Mataram within the assembly, he (Along) risks undoing what generations of Nagas have sacrificed so much to defend the preservation of our identity, our faith and our rights,” the federation stated, stressing that no representative has the mandate to dilute Naga rights.NSF reiterated its categorical opposition to the MHA directive mandating Vande Mataram before the national anthem, arguing the song carries “strong and undeniable religious connotations rooted in the worship of Hindu deities”.The federation said it was “extremely unfortunate” that Along chose to defend the directive, accusing him of being more concerned with “pleasing his political bosses in Delhi rather than safeguarding the rights and sensitivities of the Naga people”.
