Congress MP Imran Masood Refuses to Sing 'Vande Mataram', Cites Constitutional Rights

The controversy over the singing of'Vande Mataram'involving senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge has led to a major statement by party MP Imran Masood. He said that I cannot worship anyone other than Allah. This right has been given to me by the Constitution. You cannot take it away. Neither have I sung it before nor will I sing it now. When Imran Masood was asked about the BJP's allegations of insulting Vande Mataram, he said, "You (BJP) have committed a sin. The national anthem is paramount for us, you have made it number two. They should first look into your own mind what they are doing. Don't tell us, our people used to say Vande Mataram even when you were afraid of being caned and you were enslaved by the British. Imran Masood said that as much as Guru Ravindranath taught us Vande Mataram, it was taught to me in every session of the Congress. No one except the officer of the Constitution gave me the right to worship it.