Kashmir-based political parties on Thursday stayed away from the Vande Mataram anniversary celebrations after lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha's administration ignored the demand of the Ulema to call off the event, with chief minister Omar Abdullah clarifying his administration had not authorised the programmes.
Members of Jammu and Kashmir’s bureaucracy and other officials joined the 150th anniversary celebrations of the National Song organised by the culture department at different places, with Sinha attending the main event in Jammu.
On Wednesday, the Valley's Muslim scholars had opposed a government directive to schools to celebrate the anniversary, calling it "un-Islamic" and asking the administration to withdraw the order.
The directive was passed following last month’s decision of the Union cabinet to celebrate 150 years of the National Song across India. Muslims have traditionally refused to recite the song because it references India as the mother goddess, invoking Hindu religious symbolism. While parties like the NC and the PDP refused to join calls for withdrawing the order, their leadership stayed away from the celebrations held at multiple places across Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.
At an event in Jammu, Sinha paid tributes to the writer of the song, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, and visited the exhibition on Vande Mataram. He said Chattopadhyay had strengthened the bond between Maa Bharti and her sons and inspired people to secure Independence.
“Our commitment and dedication to the motherland will take our nation to its destiny of a Viksit Bharat. The young generation must remember that they are inheritors of this great civilisation and their contribution to the progress and prosperity of society will be a fitting tribute to Maa Bharti,” the LG said.
Omar said the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet did not decide to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram in schools, and education minister Sakina Itoo had not signed it. “There should be no interference in our work. We will decide what should or should not happen in the school...,” he said.