MUMBAI, 18 July 2007 — Rasheed Masood, a leader of Samajwadi Party (SP) and United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) nominee for the post of vice president, elections for which are scheduled to be held on Aug. 10, sent shock waves in the political circles when he declared that under “no” circumstance will he stand up and sing the Hindu anthem Vande Mataram, even if he is elected the vice president of the country. “Even if I am offered the post of the president, I would not sing the song,” Masood said.
“Vande Mataram is a song glorifying Hindu gods and requires bowing heads to them. In Islam such glorification is strictly prohibited as glorification and bowing is only permitted for Allah alone, and no one else. Hence, I will not do acts which are contrary to my religion and beliefs under any circumstances and costs,” headded.
It is the first time that any candidate to a top national post in the country has been bold, brave and courageous to openly state that he would not sing the Hindu anthem. The issue may snowball into a major controversey and boomerang on the UNPA.
In a surprise move in Mumbai on Monday night, UNPA announced the candidature of Masood, 60. Masood represents Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament), and it is the fifth time that he has been elected to the Lok Sabha. He served as a minister in the federal government earlier during the Vishwanath Pratap Singh regime. Masood was also a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament) for one term.
Samajwadi Party leader and spokesman Amar Singh made the formal announcement. “He is a veteran politician and his credentials are good. He is the unanimous choice for all UNPA constituents,” he said. Leaders of the UNPA like AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi and Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav would be present at the time of filing nomination papers by Masood.
Amar Singh reiterated the decision of the UNPA to abstain from the presidential poll and said that the UNPA constituents would not vote for UPA-left candidate Pratibha Patil, and that the UNPA would keep equal distance from both the Congress and the BJP.
He said that the decision of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray to back a Congress candidate had revealed the ties between the two. Commenting on BJP leader Sushma Swaraj’s criticism over the UNPA’s decision, Amar said that in democracy, people had the right to vote or abstain from voting.
The Congress-led United Progressive Aliance (UPA) and the BJP-led National Democratic Front (NDA) are yet to announce their candidates for vice president. The term of current Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who is in the race for presidency against Pratibha Patil, ends on Aug. 18.
