In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has distanced his government from the decision to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Indian national song Vande Mataram in schools, asserting that such directives should not come through external interference.
Speaking to reporters in Budgam, Omar Abdullah said, “This decision has not been made by the cabinet, nor has the education minister signed off on it. We should decide what happens in our schools without outside dictation on these matters.”
He said there should be no outside dictation on such matters and no interference in governing the territory.
On October 30, the Culture Department of IIOJK had directed all schools across the occupied territory to participate in the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram.
The directive triggered strong backlash from religious leaders and civil society, who denounced it as yet another attempt to impose Hindutva ideology on the Muslim-majority territory.
