The West Bengal government has made singing of 'Vande Mataram' mandatory in all government, aided, and recognised madrasas across the state, with the directive taking immediate effect. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Praveen Khandelwal welcomed the decision, while Islamic scholar Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi cautioned against coercion, saying the choice should rest with individual conscience.

The Government's Decision

The West Bengal Directorate of Madrasah Education issued the order making 'Vande Mataram' compulsory during Assembly prayers before classes in all recognised madrasas. Khudiram Tudu, Minister In-charge of Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education in the state government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, confirmed the directive.

The madrasa order follows a similar mandate issued just one week earlier, when the Bengal government made 'Vande Mataram' recital compulsory in all state-run schools. Tudu drew a direct parallel: 'Like all other state-run schools in the state, singing 'Vande Mataram' will henceforth be mandatory in all recognised madrasahs as well. There are many state-run schools in West Bengal where the medium of instruction is the Santali language. If singing 'Vande Mataram' is compulsory in those schools, why should the same not be mandatory in recognised madrasahs?'

What BJP Said

BJP MP Khandelwal called the national song the pride and soul of India. 'Vande Mataram is the pride and honour of India. The song is the lifeline of India and its soul. Therefore, it should be sung in every possible place, and there is no doubt about it,' he said. He added that the song is intrinsically tied to India's independence struggle and that its recital should be compulsory in every institution.

The Opposition Voice

Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, National President of All India Muslim Jamaat, argued that the debate must be viewed through a political lens rather than a religious one. He alleged that since Suvendu Adhikari assumed charge as Chief Minister, a series of controversies have been deliberately engineered in the state, with madrasas being targeted on the lines of Assam.

'I am not stopping anyone who wants to recite it, but those who do not want to recite it should not be pressured. It should be left to people's conscience,' Razvi Barelvi said. He stopped short of calling for a reversal of the order, framing his objection around the principle of voluntary participation rather than outright opposition to the national song.

Context and Significance

The directive is among the first major policy moves by the new BJP-led Bengal government on the question of cultural and civic obligations in minority educational institutions. It comes amid a broader national conversation about the role of state-run and state-aided religious schools in reflecting constitutional values. Notably, West Bengal has one of the largest networks of government-recognised madrasas in India, making the order's reach significant. How the mandate is implemented and whether it draws legal challenges will be closely watched in the weeks ahead.