Imposition on freedom of speech: Oppn

The order has invoked sharp criticism from the Opposition. NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, “Vande Mataram invokes a sense of pride and a feeling of patriotism among Indians, but forcing government employees to use the greeting even on their personal phones is not right

Mumbai : A day after the Maharashtra government issued a directive to its employees to greet people with ‘Vande Mataram’ over the phone instead of ‘Hello’ or other customary salutations, a row has erupted, with opposition parties criticising the government over its diktat.

Mumbai, Oct 02 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde speaks at the Homethon Property Expo, at BKC, in Mumbai on Sunday. (ANI Photo) (Vijay Gohil)

The state government’s general administration department, which governs state employees, issued a government resolution (GR) on Saturday asking employees to use ‘Vande Mataram’ to greet callers over the phone. Although the GR says it is not “mandatory” to use ‘Vande Mataram’, it has instructed the heads of departments, government-affiliated agencies, semi-government and aided organisations and corporations to ensure that employees follow the directives “voluntarily”.

The GR also says that calls not only on official phones but even on personal phones should be answered with ‘Vande Mataram’, and that meetings should begin with these words of “historic importance”. It also has mandated that announcements made by the State Transport Corporation at all its depots should start with ‘Vande Mataram’, and that government community workers like Anganwadi and ASHA workers should kick off their conversations with people with this greeting. The word “Hello’, a British era salutation, has no meaning according to the GR, which has directed all departments to give wide publicity to the ‘Vande Mataram’ drive.

The order has invoked sharp criticism from the Opposition. NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, “Vande Mataram invokes a sense of pride and a feeling of patriotism among Indians, but forcing government employees to use the greeting even on their personal phones is not right. This is nothing but an infringement of their freedom of speech as well as imposition of a particular mindset on the people. Let them say ‘Vande Mataram’ with pride; don’t force them to say it.”

Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi said that Muslims would not say ‘Vande Mataram’ though they were fine with ‘Saare jahan se achha Hindustan hamara’ and ‘Jai Hind’. “This is an attempt by the BJP to create enmity between Hindu and Muslims and polarise them for Hindu votes. Muslims bow before Almighty Allah and nobody else. Chief minister Eknath Shinde has been acting under pressure from the BJP and RSS, otherwise he would not have issued this diktat. Shinde goes about declaring that he is the real follower of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, but Thackeray always used ‘Jai Maharashtra’ to greet people. The new diktat does not recognise even the tradition followed by the late Thackeray,” he said.

Congress state president Nana Patole was of the opinion that there was nothing wrong with greeting people with ‘Vande Mataram’. “However we are proposing ‘Jai Baliraja’ (to express gratitude towards farmers) and ‘Ram’ (used in common parlance in rural parts) as greetings,” he said.

Government employees have reacted cautiously to the order. “We have no problem in saying ‘Vande Mataram’ as it is about patriotism, although the move is political. But we expect that it should percolate down from the top. IAS and IPS officers, commissioners and directors should first start implementing the diktat at their end,” said Avinash Daund, general secretary, Brihanmumbai Rajya Sarkari Karmachari Sanghtana.

State cultural minister and senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar, immediately after his induction into the Maharashtra cabinet in August, had announced his intention of introducing ‘Vande Mataram’ as a greeting in the state. “Since it is the country’s Amrut Mahotsav of independence, we have decided that government employees will no longer say ‘Hello’ but ‘Vande Mataram’ as a phone greeting,” he had said then.