Mumbai: After directing the state government employees and officers to greet people by saying ‘Vande Mataram’ instead of ‘Hello,’ the Maharashtra BJP now wants people also to follow suit.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the cultural affairs minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Sunday launched a campaign appealing to people to say “Vande Mataram’ while receiving phone calls instead of ‘Hello.’ The campaign was launched at Wardha on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and coincides with the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.’
“The slogan ‘Vande Mataram’ played an important role in our independence movement. Bhagat Singh’s last word was ‘Vande Mataram’, we have to bring ‘Vande Mataram’ in our daily routine again. From today onwards, we will start the ‘Vande Mataram’ movement,” said Fadnavis.
“Vande Mataram means we bow before our mother. Hence, it is our appeal to the people to say Vande Mataram instead of Hello,” said Mungantiwar.
The state government on Saturday issued a GR which has asked the government employees and officers to say ‘Vande Mataram’ when receiving calls from citizens or government officials and also while addressing staff speaking to citizens or making public announcements, instead of ‘hello.’
It is not mandatory, but the heads of departments should encourage their staff to do so, stated the resolution, which is applicable to employees across government, semi-government, local civic bodies, aided schools, colleges and other institutions.
‘Hello’ depicted western culture and the word did not have any specific meaning. The word is just a formality which does not arouse any emotion. Greeting people by saying ‘Vande Mataram’ will create a feeling of affection, the resolution said.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said while they do not oppose ‘Vande Mataram,’ we should say ‘Jay BaliRaja’ or ‘RamRam’ to pay our respect to farmers as our country is agrarian-based.
NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, ‘Vande Mataram’ invokes a sense of pride and a feeling of patriotism among Indians and forcing them to say so is not right, especially when they are asking their employees to say ‘Vande Mataram’ even when they use their private telephones. “This is nothing but infringement of their Right to Freedom of Speech and also imposition of a particular mindset on the people. Let them say ‘Vande Mataram’ with pride, don’t force them to say so.”
