UP CM Adityanath slams SP MP for opposing ‘Vande Mataram’; says such ‘divisive voices create new Jinnahs’
GORAKHPUR: Invoking All-India Muslim League leaders Mohammad Ali Jinah and Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said that those who oppose the national song “Vande Mataram” are insulting India’s unity and integrity.
“Even today, we expect everyone living in India to be loyal to the nation and work for its unity,” he said while participating in ‘Ekta Yatra’ (Unity March) and collective singing of “Vande Mataram” in Gorakhpur.
He said when events were organised to mark the 150th anniversary of “Vande Mataram”, the same voices of opposition resurfaced.“A Samajwadi Party MP again protested against the national song. These are the same people who skip the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the architect of India’s integrity, but shamelessly attend events honouring Jinnah,” Adityanath said.
He asked if the country fails to honour its national heroes, where will it go?Such actions embolden separatist forces that threaten the country’s national identity, he added.
“It is now our duty to identify and oppose all elements that divide society, whether in the name of caste, region, or language. These divisions are part of a conspiracy to create new Jinnahs,” he said.
Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pakistan on 14 August 1947. He then became Pakistan’s first governor-general until his death a year later in 1948.He urged people to ensure that no new Jinnah ever arises in India again, and if anyone dares to challenge the nation’s integrity, “we must bury such divisive intent before it can take root.”
The chief minister said every citizen of India must stand united for this cause.
Adityanath said there is no justification for opposing “Vande Mataram”.
The “venom” started spreading against the national song after Jauhar refused to stand up for it in the 1923 Congress session. Under the same Congress, Rabindranath Tagore had sung the full song at a party session in 1896, the chief minister added
The extremism, Naxalism, and terrorism that constantly challenge India’s unity and integrity are fuelled by those who insult national icons and revolutionaries, the chief minister said.