New Delhi buzzes with fresh controversy as BJP leader Yasar Jilani fires back at Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind’s opposition to the Centre’s new Vande Mataram guidelines. In an exclusive interview, Jilani questioned how honoring the motherland could ever be wrong.
‘Muslims pray to Allah everywhere in India and the world,’ Jilani asserted. He drew a powerful historical parallel, reminding everyone that revolutionaries sang Vande Mataram while battling British colonial forces, sacrificing their lives for freedom. ‘Is Maulana Madani calling those martyrs wrong with his statements?’ he challenged.
Jilani accused Jamiat leaders of misleading the Muslim community by labeling the national song as anti-Islam. ‘This is sheer confusion-mongering,’ he said. He pointed out the hypocrisy: why don’t these leaders protest against alcohol consumption, strictly forbidden in Islam, with the same vigor?
The BJP leader urged young Muslims to embrace Vande Mataram as a symbol of devotion to the nation, not a religious conflict. ‘It’s a national song expressing surrender to the motherland, separate from faith,’ he explained. Jilani warned that such divisive rhetoric only breeds hatred and damages communal harmony.
He didn’t spare pseudo-secular politicians, especially from Congress and opposition ranks, who have long opposed Vande Mataram, with resistance intensifying post-2014. ‘Motherland’s honor can’t be politicized for votes,’ Jilani declared. With the new mandate requiring the 3-minute-10-second rendition, he emphasized that saluting India is beyond reproach. Playing vote-bank games at the expense of Muslim interests is unacceptable, he concluded, calling for unity over division.