Row over Vande Mataram: BJP workers protest outside SP MLA Abu Azmi’s residence

Bharatiya Janata Party BJP workers on Friday staged a protest outside the residence of Samajwadi Party SP MLA Abu Asim Azmi in Mumbai after he declined city BJP chief Ameet Satamrsquos invitation to participate in a mass recital of lsquoVande Mataramrsquo near his home news agency PTI reportedVIDEO Mumbai BJP workers stage a protest outside Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmirsquos residence over the lsquoVande Mataramrsquo issueMaharashtra Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi had declined an invitation from Mumbai BJP unit president Ameet Satam to join a mass recital of thehellip pictwittercomsFvkmKBFQZmdash Press Trust of India PTI_News November 7 2025Senior BJP leaders including state Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha joined party workers in gathering outside the SP Mumbai unit headrsquos Bandra residence where they recited the national songSpeaking to reporters Azmi said that Muslims who follow shariah would not equate anyone else with Allah PTI reportedTerming the BJP as ldquoBharat Jalao Partyrdquo Azmi remarked ldquoThey are worshippers of hate and want to divide the country on the basis of religionrdquoldquoThey want to suppress and weaken Muslims Will I ask you to offer namaaz Muslims worship only Allah and not zameen the ground and the Sunrdquo he addedThe BJP organised the recital of Vande Mataram to mark the formal launch of a yearlong nationwide commemorationmdashfrom November 7 2025 to November 7 2026mdashcelebrating 150 years of the timeless composition that inspired Indiarsquos freedom movement and continues to evoke national pride and unityThe song was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterji on the occasion of Akshaya Navami which fell on November 7 1875 It first appeared in the literary journal Bangadarshan as part of Chatterjirsquos novel AnandamathMeanwhile the Maharashtra Congress has accused the BJP of ldquomisusingrdquo the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the national song lsquoVande Mataramrsquo for ldquopolitical polarisationrdquo and ldquohypocritical nationalismrdquo PTI reportedThe Congress refuted the BJPrsquos allegations that some of its legislators had opposed the singing of the national song describing the partyrsquos ldquocampaignrdquo against Congress MLAs Aslam Shaikh and Amin Patel as ldquofalse shameful and condemnablerdquoCongress Spokesperson Sachin Sawant said both Shaikh and Patel had clearly stated that they had no objection to the songldquoIf BJP leaders wish to sing Vande Mataram they are welcome to come inside our offices and sing not outside to create a spectaclerdquo he saidAccusing the BJP of deliberately targeting Muslim legislators to stoke religious divisions the Congress said ldquoIt is unfortunate that the BJP is trying to communalise an issue linked to national pride This exposes its divisive politicsrdquoSawant added that as the nation celebrates 150 years of Vande Mataram the BJP is ldquomisusing the occasion for political polarisationrdquo and engaging in ldquohypocritical nationalismrdquoldquoVande Mataram is part of the Congressrsquos very soul Our freedom fighters courageously sang it against British rule when the RSS had no presence in the freedom movement Those who once opposed the Constitution called the tricolour inauspicious and refused to hoist it for 52 years now claim to be the sole patriotsrdquo Sawant saidWhile Vande Mataram symbolises the countryrsquos freedom struggle the BJP treats it merely as an electoral slogan he addedldquoFor us itrsquos a song of sacrifice and pride For them itrsquos a showpiece They chant lsquoVande Mataramrsquo in public but in their hearts they worship the antiConstitutional hymn lsquoNamaste Sada Vatsalersquordquo he chargedSpeaking to PTI Congress MLA Amin Patel from Mumbadevi in Mumbai said the BJP had informed him that its party workers would sing the national song outside his officeldquoI would like to welcome BJP workers with refreshments if they visit my office for singing Vande Mataram I would have welcomed them personally but they will come to my office when I am not aroundrdquo he saidPatel added that the BJP remembers Vande Mataram only when elections are near and should not lecture the Congress or its workers on patriotismldquoPatriotism is in our bloodrdquo he saidWith PTI inputs