Vande Mataram: Christian forum opposes mandatory singing of all six stanzas of national song

Andhra Pradesh Christian Leaders Forum (APCLF), the apex body of the Christian community in the State, demanded that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) withdraw its notification issued on January 28, 2026, which mandated that all six stanzas of the ‘Vande Mataram’ be sung or played during official programmes.

In a press release, APCLF chairperson Oliver Rayi pointed out that the first two stanzas evoke the motherland’s natural beauty in secular terms. However, from stanza 3, explicit religious imagery deifies the nation as a Hindu goddess, which is incompatible with Christianity’s monotheism, he added.

Pointing out that poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore called the poem a hymn to Durga and unfit for a multi-faith nation, the forum noted that the notification was an assault on religious sentiments and secular fabric. In the press release, the forum members wrote that they believe that the notification privileges Hindu devotion and violates Articles 14, 15, and 25 of the Constitution.

Also Read | Muslim bodies oppose Vande Mataram notification, allege it is against Constitution

The APCLF demanded withdrawal of the notification, a multi-stakeholder dialogue with minorities, limiting recital of the national song to two stanzas, as was being done until now, and a ban on its imposition on schools.

Forum members, including APCLF secretary Arul Arasu and State coordinator-NGOs Nellapati Samuel, said they would seek the intervention of the Supreme Court if the demands remain unmet.