Overview
- Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on 10 November that reciting Vande Mataram will be compulsory in every school and college in Uttar Pradesh.
- He made the declaration at an Ekta Yatra in Gorakhpur held for the song’s 150th anniversary.
- Adityanath said the initiative aims to instill respect and pride for the motherland.
- He argued that refusing to sing the song undermines national unity and stated that no religion or caste stands above the country.
- The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks blaming the 1937 abridgement for sowing division, prompting BJP criticism of Congress and a Congress defense citing Rabindranath Tagore.