Except in the states ruled by the BJP.
NEW DELHI: Ahead of today's celebrations to mark the centenary of Vande Mataram, most states said singing the national song in schools and colleges would not be compulsory. But BJP-ruled states made arrangements for its mandatory recitation in educational institutions and at community events.
The BJP-ruled states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan have made the singing mandatory. In MP, it will also be sung in government offices.
In Orissa and Karnataka the singing has been made mandatory, but not in Bihar, where the BJP is part of the JD(U)-led alliance. But it has asked its ministers to organise public singing.
Maharashtra, Tripura, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Punjab, and Haryana have made the singing optional for students. Meanwhile, the Allahabad high court rejected a petition seeking mandatory singing in all government, semi-government, and educational institutions.
