SGPC chief not against 'Vande Mataram'

Amritsar, Sep 6 (UNI) Backtracking from his earlier stand against the singing of Vande Mataram, Shiromani Guirdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh today said he was not against the national song.

The SGPC chief had yesterday rejected 'Vande Mataram' as a song ''representing only one community'' and also demanded that the singing of 'Deh Shiva Var mohe', written by Guru Gobind Singh, be made compulsory by the Sikh educational institutions.

He, however, said in a statement issued here today that let 'Vande Mataram' and 'Deh Shiva var mohe' be sung simultanuously in schools.

The SGPC chief said that the Sikh educational institutions would organise the singing of 'Deh Shiva var mohe' tomorrow, while no attempt would be made to stop the institutions from singing 'Vande Mataram'.

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