SAD (A) urges Akal Takht to block Vande Mataram move

Amritsar: A proposal to mandate the national song has sparked a fierce theological debate in Punjab, with Sikh hardliners claiming it violates their faith's monotheism while the BJP defends it as a symbol of shared patriotism.Iman Singh Mann, working president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), petitioned the Akal Takht secretariat on Monday to intervene against a reported central move to make the song, ‘Vande Mataram', compulsory. Iman Singh's objection targets proposed punitive amendments to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.Iman argued that portions of the song, which liken the nation to the goddess Durga, conflict with the Sikh monotheistic tenet of "Ik Onkar" and the faith's rejection of idol worship. He alleged the mandate was a "BJP attempt to assimilate Sikhism into Hinduism" and would hurt the sentiments of Sikh students.The BJP's Punjab spokesperson, Sarchand Singh Khiala, countered that Mann was distorting Sikh philosophy to fuel division. Khiala cited the verse "Pawan Guru, Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat," noting that Sikh teachings already revere the earth as a mother."Respect for the motherland cannot be termed anti-Sikh," Khiala said. "Vande Mataram symbolises patriotism, not idol worship. The Sikh community has always been at the forefront of defending India."Khiala accused Iman's faction of pushing youth towards "anti-India thinking" and argued that portraying Sikhs as being in conflict with national symbols undermined the community's legacy of sacrifice. The dispute adds fresh friction to the ongoing debate over constitutional freedoms and religious autonomy in the state.