A plea before the Delhi High Court has sought directions to the Centre to frame a policy to equally propagate the national anthem and the national song — ‘Vande Mataram’. BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, in his plea, has sought that ‘Vande Mataram’, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, be given the same respect as the national anthem — ‘Jana Gana Mana’, penned by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
National policy
In plea, which is likely to be heard on Tuesday, Mr. Upadhyay has said that the national song played a vital role in the Independence movement and was first sung in a political context by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. The petition also sought a direction to the government to frame a national policy to promote and propagate both the national anthem and the national song.
The plea also urges the court to direct the government to ensure both songs are sung in all schools on every working day.
In October 2017, a petition was filed in the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to treat the national song at par with the national anthem.
The High Court had dismissed the petition after the Central government had opposed the plea saying ‘Vande Mataram’ occupies a “unique and special place” in the psyche of Indians but it cannot be treated at par with ‘Jana Gana Mana’.
