Meerut Mayor says no 'Vande Mataram' before board meetings, stokes controversy

Pic courtesy: ANI

MEERUT: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and newly-elected Meerut mayor Sunita Verma on Friday categorically stated that national song Vande Mataram will not be sung ahead of the board meetings.

While topping the ex-mayor's order that made singing Vande Mataram at meetings a must, Verma said that as per the constitution of the municipal board, National Anthem 'Jan Gan Man' would be sung before the meetings and not the national song.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on December 7 apparently questioned why there were objections to saying 'Vande Mataram', which meant salute to the motherland.

"If not your mother, who would you salute, Afzal Guru?" Naidu asked.

"Vande Mataram mane maa tujhe salam. Kya samasya hai? Agar maa ko salam nahi karenge to kya Afzal Guru ko salam karenge? (Vande Mataram means salute to mother. What is problem with it, if you don't salute your mother, who would you salute, Afzal Guru?)," he asked.

Verma garnered 234817 votes in the the recently conculded Uttar Pradesh civic elections.

The BSP candidate was pitted against BJP's Kanta Karda and Samajwadi Party's Deepu Manothiya.