The All India Muslim Personal Law Board said it would challenge the move in court, setting the stage for a potentially major constitutional battle
NEW DELHI — In a blistering attack on the Centre, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Thursday accused the Narendra Modi-led government of pushing a “majoritarian nationalist agenda” after its controversial victory in West Bengal. The election results in the state have been fiercely challenged by opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress, as a “stolen mandate.”
The AIMPLB’s sharp reaction came after the Union Cabinet reportedly decided to give “Vande Mataram” a status equal to the National Anthem “Jana Gana Mana,” while making all six stanzas compulsory in schools, colleges, and government institutions across the country.
Calling the move “an assault on the Constitution and the country’s secular foundations,” AIMPLB spokesperson Dr S Q R Ilyas alleged that the government, emboldened by its Bengal win, was now attempting to impose a singular cultural and religious identity on a diverse nation.
“This is not patriotism. This is coercive nationalism wrapped in religious symbolism,” Dr Ilyas said in a strongly worded statement. “A secular democracy cannot compel citizens to participate in practices that violate their faith.”
The board objected particularly to the inclusion of all six stanzas of “Vande Mataram,” arguing that several verses invoke Hindu deities such as Goddess Durga — references that it says are incompatible with Islamic beliefs centred on the absolute oneness of God.
Dr Ilyas reminded the government that even Rabindranath Tagore had advised in 1937 that only the first two stanzas be publicly used because the later portions carried overtly religious content. The Constituent Assembly of India later adopted the same position in 1950 while recognising “Vande Mataram” as the National Song.
“By making all six stanzas mandatory, the government is tearing apart a carefully built constitutional consensus that respected India’s pluralism,” the statement said.
The AIMPLB further accused the Centre of weaponising nationalism for political gains at a time of growing social polarisation.
“The unity of India cannot be built through intimidation, religious majoritarianism, and forced conformity,” the board said. “Such decisions deepen mistrust and threaten communal harmony.”
The organisation called for the order to be withdrawn immediately. It said that if that was not done, it would challenge the move in court, setting the stage for a potentially major constitutional battle over nationalism, religious freedom, and the limits of state power in a secular republic.
