Row over Vande Mataram being made mandatory in West Bengal’s madrasas

A row erupted over the mandatory singing of Vande Mataram in madrasas of West Bengal. A West Bengal government order had mandated singing of the national song in all educational institutions of State. “Vande Mataram and madrasas have no link. This divisive politics had what partitioned this nation in 1947. There is nothing to do with Hindu-Muslims here. The Congress has forever used the Vande Mataram slogan, so what is the problem now?” Bharatiya Janta Party West Bengal State president Samik Bhattacharya said on Thursday (May 21, 2026). A letter signed on May 19 by the director of madrasa education stated that Vande Mataram has to be sung before classes commence. “...is hereby made mandatory in all madrasas [government model madrasas (English Medium) /recognised government aided madrasas/approved MSKS / approved SSKs/recognised unaided madrasas] under the Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education Department, across the State of West Bengal, with immediate effect,” the official notice stated. This comes days after the same order was made mandatory in all schools across the State, where students were asked to sing the national song Vande Mataram at their morning prayers along with the Anthem, Jana Gana Mana. Meanwhile, opposition parties criticised the move to make Vande Mataram compulsory in madrasas. The Aam Janta Unnayan Party, which came into being right before the West Bengal Assembly elections, also opposed Vande Mataram being made mandatory in madrasas. Also Read: The proposed Vande Mataram protocol is a punitive detour from history 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,” Mr. Kabir said on Thursday (May 21, 2026). 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,” Mr. Pal told The Hindu. West Bengal Congress senior leader Suman Roy Chaudhuri said they had been warning the country about the dangers of voting the BJP to power. “We have been warning about this danger all along. People didn’t understand before, so let them understand it slowly now. This Vande Mataram issue isn’t the main event; it’s just the beginning. BJP is effectively putting cellotape over people’s mouths,” Mr. Roy Chaudhuri added. Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, West Bengal officials, refused to comment on the matter on Thursday (May 21, 2026). “Wherever the BJP is in power, it wants to spread hatred in society and create divisions among people. That is why they use national symbols such as the national song to showcase their trivial thinking... The BJP will do anything to stay in power,” Samajwadi Party spokesperson Udaiveer Singh said in Lucknow on Thursday (May 21, 2026). However, the primary opposition in Bengal, the Trinamool Congress leadership, has largely remained silent on the issue and has not made any statements till now.