AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, in a sharply worded speech on Monday during the Lok Sabha discussion marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, warned that attempts to compel citizens, particularly Muslims, to recite the song amount to an unconstitutional test of loyalty and a dangerous distortion of patriotism.
He stressed that forcing symbolic displays of nationalism undermines the very principles on which India was founded.
Owaisi said the government’s posture effectively turns Vande Mataram into a religious litmus test, where dissent or non-participation is treated as proof of disloyalty.
“Patriotism cannot be demanded, coerced or certified,” he said, adding that no citizen can be forced to “worship any god or deity” in the name of nationalism.
He argued that enforcing symbolic conformity violates fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
The AIMIM leader cautioned that equating national devotion with a song rooted in religious imagery excludes millions and undermines India’s pluralistic character.
“Love for India cannot be conditional,” he said. “To demand that every Indian prove loyalty by singing a specific song is to betray the very idea of our republic.”
He reminded the House that India earned independence and has maintained freedom precisely because the country did not conflate religion with statehood. Forcing religious symbolism as a measure of national loyalty, he argued, betrays the ideals of freedom fighters such as Mahatma Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar and Rabindranath Tagore, reducing politics to religious majoritarianism.
He condemned the notion that citizens must display a certificate of loyalty or prove their patriotism through religious-patriotic rituals or songs, describing such demands as deeply contrary to constitutional principles.
Owaisi’s remarks triggered heated exchanges in the House, especially as ruling party members pressed for broader acceptance of Vande Mataram as a unifying national symbol.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh argued that the song had been historically “treated unfairly,” while others accused past governments of sidelining it.
Opposition leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav, echoed Owaisi’s concerns, saying the song, once a rallying cry in the freedom struggle, is now being used to stoke division and score political points.
Owaisi said: “No government has the authority to manufacture patriotism by force. The Constitution already defines who is Indian, and no slogan, song or chant can add or subtract from that.”
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