Asom government says 'Vande Mataram' singing not mandatory

Guwahati, Sep 2 (UNI) A day after the Asom government issued a notification for singing of the 'Vande Mataram' on September 7 in all educational institutions, state Education Minister Ripun Bora today clarified that the rendering of the national song had not been made mandatory.

Mr Bora, in a press release, said the government had asked the concerned heads of institutions to arrange for singing the first two stanzas on the said date at 1100 hours as a sequel to orders received from Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh.

However, the notification had not made the singing 'compulsory' as had been reported in a section of the media, the release added.

Earlier, Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF), a newly-floated political party, an amalgamation of over a dozen religious minority organisations, had vowed to oppose the bid to impose 'Vande Mataram' in educational institutions in the state, stating that it might hurt the feelings of the religious minority community.

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