Despite opposition criticism, 1600 Madarsas in Bengal follow BJP CM's orders to sing Vande Mataram in morning prayers, share clips
The heads of the madrasas videorecorded the Vande Mataram shots and uploaded the clips to WhatsApp groups administered by school sub-inspectors and district inspectors of schools as proof of compliance
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On Monday, June 1, an exclusive report by Telegraph India revealed that around 1600 Madrasas in West Bengal under the minority affairs and madrasa education department sang Vande Mataram during morning prayers as the institutions reopened after the summer vacation.
“Each student was given a PDF containing all six stanzas of Vande Mataram. It was played on sound boxes; the students joined in. Videos of the performance have been uploaded to the relevant WhatsApp groups,” Manjur Ahmed said. “We expect students to learn all six stanzas within a week. Thereafter, they will sing without the help of the device,” he added.
Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation leader Kartik Pal said that ever since the BJP’s government came to power, they have been trying to make a Hindu rashtra. “They [BJP-RSS] have no history of taking part in any Indian Independence movement. But they are trying to attack Muslims, even though this community took part in the freedom struggle. We oppose this forceful imposition of Vande Mataram because this is an autocratic order,” Pal was quoted as saying.
West Bengal Congress senior leader Suman Roy Choudhuri said they had been warning the country about the dangers of voting the BJP to power.
In January, the Union home ministry had also said all six stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung before the national anthem. The decision was taken to mark the 150th year of Vande Mataram.
As per the report, the heads of the madrasas videorecorded the prayers and uploaded the clips to WhatsApp groups administered by school sub-inspectors and district inspectors of schools as proof of compliance. Seikh Manjur Ahmed, headmaster of Dahakanda Siddiquia High Madrasah in Mathurapur-I, South 24-Parganas, said 350 students sang Vande Mataram in keeping with a state government order issued on May 20.
“Each student was given a PDF containing all six stanzas of Vande Mataram. It was played on sound boxes; the students joined in. Videos of the performance have been uploaded to the relevant WhatsApp groups,” Manjur Ahmed said. “We expect students to learn all six stanzas within a week. Thereafter, they will sing without the help of the device,” he added.
Teachers, both Hindu and Muslim, joined the students during the performance. The national song was followed by the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. This is after the West Bengal government on May 14 directed all state-run and state-aided schools in the state to mandatorily include the singing of Vande Mataram during morning assemblies before the start of classes.
According to the official communication sent to heads of institutions on May 14, schools were instructed to ensure that every student participates in singing the national song during the daily assembly. The order stated that the singing of Vande Mataram “should be made mandatory so that it is sung by all students in all schools in the state.”
In supersession of all previous orders and practices, the Government of West Bengal has mandated the singing of National Song of Bharat - Vande Mataram, during School Assembly Prayers before commencement of Classes in all Schools under the School Education Department across West… pic.twitter.com/QmQHoFqUfj
— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) May 14, 2026
Notably, several opposition parties, including the Congress, AJUP, Samajwadi Party, etc had opposed the decision. Aam Janta Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir, who won the Assembly elections from two seats, said new Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari must remember that he was the Chief Minister of all the 11 crore people of Bengal. “Vande Mataram will not be sung in madrasas. The government has no authority to dictate such matters in madrasas,” Kabir was quoted as saying.
Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation leader Kartik Pal said that ever since the BJP’s government came to power, they have been trying to make a Hindu rashtra. “They [BJP-RSS] have no history of taking part in any Indian Independence movement. But they are trying to attack Muslims, even though this community took part in the freedom struggle. We oppose this forceful imposition of Vande Mataram because this is an autocratic order,” Pal was quoted as saying.
West Bengal Congress senior leader Suman Roy Choudhuri said they had been warning the country about the dangers of voting the BJP to power.
In January, the Union home ministry had also said all six stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung before the national anthem. The decision was taken to mark the 150th year of Vande Mataram.