NBCC opposes compulsory Vande Mataram singing, urging constitutional sensitivity, freedom of conscience, peaceful dialogue and respect for India’s diversity
DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has opposed any directive or practice compelling citizens, particularly Christians, to sing Vande Mataram, asserting that patriotism cannot be reduced to compulsory conformity.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the NBCC said it respected India’s national symbols, patriotic sentiments and constitutional values, but maintained that patriotism should arise from willing participation and love for the nation rather than coercion.
The council maintained that its position remained unchanged from an earlier public statement on the issue, stressing that matters involving faith, conscience, religious conviction and deeply held identity required “the highest degree of sensitivity, wisdom and respect”.
While acknowledging the place of national symbols and patriotic expressions in public life, the NBCC stated that these must be viewed within India’s constitutional commitment to liberty, equality, pluralism and freedom of conscience.
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“Unity must not be confused with uniformity, and patriotism must never be reduced to compulsory conformity,” it stated.
The church council maintained that India’s strength lay in its ability to remain united while respecting differences of faith, culture, language, tradition and conscience. It argued that the State and public institutions had a particular responsibility to exercise sensitivity and restraint when a song, symbol or public practice carried different meanings for different communities.
The NBCC also acknowledged the concerns raised by the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) and its efforts to articulate the sentiments of the student community. At the same time, it urged all responses to remain peaceful, responsible and respectful, cautioning against hostility, intimidation, confrontation or division.
The council argued that coercion could produce outward compliance but not genuine loyalty, conviction or belonging. Respect, mutual understanding, trust and dialogue, it stated, were stronger foundations for national integration.
The NBCC appealed to the government and its authorities, educational institutions, student organisations, churches, civil society and the public to exercise wisdom, restraint and constitutional sensitivity in dealing with the issue.
It also called for differences of conscience and conviction to be treated with dignity, while urging stakeholders to express their positions peacefully and constructively so that the issue did not become a source of communal tension.
“As a Church organisation, NBCC has no desire to politicise this matter or create unnecessary confrontation,” it stated, adding that it could not remain silent when a practice was imposed in a manner that could infringe upon the freedom of conscience of sections of citizens.
The council added that India needed “not greater polarisation, but greater sensitivity; not coercion, but understanding; not conformity, but mutual respect; not confrontation, but dialogue”.
It reiterated its commitment to freedom of conscience, justice, peace, constitutional values and the dignity of every citizen, saying these principles, rather than compulsion or forced uniformity, provided the foundation for a stronger and more harmonious India.