The order has invoked sharp criticism from the Opposition. NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, “Vande Mataram invokes a sense of pleasure and a feeling of patriotism amongst Indians, however forcing authorities personnel to use the greeting even on their private phones isn’t always right
Mumbai : A day after the Maharashtra authorities issued a directive to its personnel to greet human beings with ‘Vande Mataram’ over the telephone in place of ‘Hello’ or other standard salutations, a row has erupted, with competition parties criticising the authorities over its diktat.
The kingdom authorities’s general administration department, which governs country employees, issued a central authority resolution (GR) on Saturday asking personnel to use ‘Vande Mataram’ to greet callers over the phone. Although the GR says it isn’t always “obligatory” to apply ‘Vande Mataram’, it has told the heads of departments, authorities-affiliated companies, semi-authorities and aided businesses and businesses to make sure that personnel comply with the directives “voluntarily”.
The GR additionally says that calls now not handiest on legit telephones but even on private telephones must be responded with ‘Vande Mataram’, and that conferences need to start with those words of “historic significance”. It additionally has mandated that announcements made with the aid of the State Transport Corporation in any respect its depots have to start with ‘Vande Mataram’, and that government network employees like Anganwadi and ASHA employees should kick off their conversations with people with this greeting. The phrase “Hello’, a British era salutation, has no which means in line with the GR, which has directed all departments to present wide exposure to the ‘Vande Mataram’ pressure.
The order has invoked sharp grievance from the Opposition. NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto stated, “Vande Mataram invokes a feel of pleasure and a sense of patriotism among Indians, however forcing government employees to use the greeting even on their personal phones isn’t always right. This is not anything but an infringement of their freedom of speech in addition to imposition of a particular mindset on the people. Let them say ‘Vande Mataram’ with pleasure; don’t pressure them to say it.”
Samajwadi Party chief Abu Asim Azmi said that Muslims could now not say ‘Vande Mataram’ even though they have been pleasant with ‘Saare jahan se achha Hindustan hamara’ and ‘Jai Hind’. “This is an strive by using the BJP to create enmity among Hindu and Muslims and polarise them for Hindu votes. Muslims bow before Almighty Allah and no one else. Chief minister Eknath Shinde has been appearing below pressure from the BJP and RSS, in any other case he might not have issued this diktat. Shinde goes approximately affirming that he’s the real follower of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, however Thackeray constantly used ‘Jai Maharashtra’ to greet human beings. The new diktat does no longer understand even the way of life followed by means of the past due Thackeray,” he stated.
Congress kingdom president Nana Patole was of the opinion that there has been not anything incorrect with greeting humans with ‘Vande Mataram’. “However we’re providing ‘Jai Baliraja’ (to specific gratitude toward farmers) and ‘Ram’ (used in commonplace parlance in rural elements) as greetings,” he said.
Government personnel have reacted carefully to the order. “We don’t have any trouble in announcing ‘Vande Mataram’ as it’s far about patriotism, even though the flow is political. But we assume that it have to percolate down from the pinnacle. IAS and IPS officials, commissioners and directors ought to first start imposing the diktat at their give up,” stated Avinash Daund, preferred secretary, Brihanmumbai Rajya Sarkari Karmachari Sanghtana.
State cultural minister and senior BJP chief Sudhir Mungantiwar, right now after his induction into the Maharashtra cupboard in August, had announced his purpose of introducing ‘Vande Mataram’ as a greeting in the nation. “Since it is the usa’s Amrut Mahotsav of independence, we’ve got decided that authorities personnel will now not say ‘Hello’ however ‘Vande Mataram’ as a cellphone greeting,” he had said then.