Naga Students' Federation Opposes Union Govt's Directive Mandating Singing of Vande Mataram Before National Anthem

The NSF also appealed to the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) to refrain from issuing any circulars, notifications, or instructions enforcing this protocol within its jurisdiction.

The Wire Staff

The NSF also appealed to the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) to refrain from issuing any circulars, notifications, or instructions enforcing this protocol within its jurisdiction.

naga students federation opposes union govt s directive mandating singing of vande mataram before national anthem

In this image received on Nov. 10, 2025, Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan graced the commemorative event marking 150 years of the National Song "Vande Mataram" at Ramjas College, University of Delhi, in New Delhi. Photo: PIB via PTI

New Delhi: The recent directives from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) mandating that the Indian National Song, Vande Mataram, be sung or played before the National Anthem during official functions and educational institutions have met with strong opposition from the Naga Students' Federation (NSF), an influential student body in the northeast, reported Hindustan Times.

“The directive, which lays down a rigid sequence of precedence and, crucially, applies it to schools, represents an imposition that fails to account for the historical, political, and cultural realities of the Naga people. While NSF is aware of the constitutional framework of the Indian State, including Article 51A(a), we categorically assert that no authority can compel cultural or ideological conformity upon the Naga homeland in a manner that disregards our unique history and identity,” said the NSF in a release issued on Friday (February 20).

In the 10-page order issued on January 28, the MHA said that if the national song and the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, are sung or played together, then Vande Mataram should be played first, and that the audience shall stand in attention during the song.

The NSF added that the Union government’s specific instruction that the day’s work in schools may begin with the community singing of Vande Mataram, coupled with directions to "popularise" the National Song and National Anthem, is concerning.

“The NSF hereby warns that no such activities mandating the compulsory singing or playing of Vande Mataram before Jana Gana Mana shall take place in schools across the Naga homeland,” the NSF said in its statement, reported HT.

The NSF also appealed to the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) to refrain from issuing any circulars, notifications, or instructions enforcing this protocol within its jurisdiction. The outfit further cautioned school authorities and administrators against implementing such guidelines in letter or spirit without due consultation with stakeholders and an understanding of the ground realities.

This article went live on February twenty-first, two thousand twenty six, at ten minutes past five in the evening.

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