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2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Feb 13, 2026 04:17 AM IST
The AIMPLB objected to it, saying it was against secular values, contrary to Supreme Court judgments, and directly conflicting with the religious beliefs of Muslims.
THE UNION Ministry of Home Affairs’ order that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram will be sung first when the National Song and National Anthem are played at any event has drawn criticism from two prominent Muslim bodies — Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) — who called it “unilateral and unconstitutional”.
The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Thursday said the direction was a “blatant attack” on the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution. The AIMPLB objected to it, saying it was against secular values, contrary to Supreme Court judgments, and directly conflicting with the religious beliefs of Muslims.
In a statement, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani said Muslims do not prevent anyone from singing or playing Vande Mataram, but some verses of the song are based on beliefs that portray the homeland as a deity, which contradict the fundamental belief of monotheistic religions.
“Since a Muslim worships only one Allah, forcing him to sing this song is a clear violation of Article 25 of the Constitution and several judgments of the Supreme Court,” he wrote.
In a statement, AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Mohammed Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi expressed strong opposition to government’s decision, calling it unconstitutional, against secular values and directly conflicting with the religious beliefs of Muslims. He said the decision is “completely unacceptable to Muslims”.
“A secular government cannot forcibly impose the beliefs or teachings of one religion upon followers of other religions,” he said.
The Maulana said, “Whatever the political considerations behind implementing this decision ahead of West Bengal elections, Muslims cannot accept it, as it directly conflicts with their faith.”
Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More
Lalmani is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, and is based in New Delhi. He covers politics of the Hindi Heartland, tracking BJP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, RLD and other parties based in UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand. Covered the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, 2019 and 2024; Assembly polls of 2012, 2017 and 2022 in UP along with government affairs in UP and Uttarakhand. ... Read More
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