Thackeray criticises Muslims for refusing to sing Vande Mataram

Mumbai, Nov 5 : Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray today came down heavily on the hardline Muslims for refusing to sing 'Vande Mataram' in line with the recent 'fatwa' (religious diktat) passed by Jamat-E-Ulema Hind (JUH) disallowing Muslims to sing the national song.

'Why there is opposition to 'Vande Mataram', a song which pays respect to the motherland? They say they have religious freedom as per the Shariyat law and Islam doesn't accept 'bowing'. Muslims cannot bow before anyone else except 'Allah', not even before the nation. This is the language of traitors. What's the need of Shariyat and Muslim Personal Law Board,'' he asked.

''Those who want such freedom and want to behave as per Shariyat or the Quran's guidelines, those who oppose offering respect to the motherland, should leave the country. Let us see who accepts this elsewhere! Due to blind faith of some Muslims and their leaders such as Shahabuddin, Banatwala and Abu Azmi, Muslims in this nation suffer and an atmosphere of doubt surrounds them. I just want to tell those who are opposing singing of 'Vande Mataram' that 'Is Desh Mein Rehna Hoga, To Vande Mataram Kehna Hoga!' (If they want to live in this country, they should sing Vande Mataram). Else, by leaving aside whatever happened till now, the tongues of the opponents should be cut,'' wrote Mr Thackeray in an editorial 'Ya Jibha Chhatun Taka! (Cut these tongues!) in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

He also criticized the Congress for appeasing the Muslims and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram for attending the function of a Muslim organization that issued the fatwa. It seemed that this had the support of the Congress, he alleged.

Saying the opposition to Vande Mataram was very irritating, the Sena chief averred that the one who did not get angry on this, cannot be a true 'Hindustani'.

Vande Mataram had been the 'Mantra' of freedom fighters in the war against the Britishers. It was the slogan of Subhash Chandra Bose's Azad Hind Sena. Opposition to such a song was the sin of the Congress' 'vote bank' politics. Vande Mataram should have become the National Anthem of the country, but the Congress opposed it from the beginning to please the Muslims. Before 1905, Congress conventions used to begin with the singing of Vande Mataram, but it was banned in Varanasi convention as the Muslims disapproved of it, Mr Thackeray averred.

''Barrister Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who divided India on communal lines, opposed the song from Muslim League platform. Continuing his opposition, Jinnah had created Pakistan but his progeny in India had continued to oppose the song. When the Britishers offered limited freedom to India in 1937, the decision to remove some lines from the song, which Muslims did not want, was taken in a Congress convention. This was the beginning of ill fate of the song. Later, Muslims took objection to the words Vande Mataram and started opposing the whole song,'' he added.