Jaipur: The Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan has decided to make 50,000 people sing the national anthem and national song to “celebrate” demonetisation anniversary on November 8.
A mega event, to be held at the SMS Stadium in Jaipur, will be organized by the Rajasthan Youth Board, a body under the department of youth and sports, and the RSS-backed Hindu Spiritual and Service Foundation, the Times of India reported. Students from 400 schools have been invited for the programme.
Raje will be the chief guest at the event, which aims to “evoke love for family, environment and nation”. Bollywood musician Anandji of Kalyanji-Anandji fame will play patriotic tunes from Hindi movies at the function. A yoga session led by Raje will also be a part of the two-hour event.
RYB vice-president Sandeep Yadav said such events “are very important for the youth as it connects them with our culture and values.”
The move has evoked sharp reactions, with the Congress accusing the BJP of resorting to “hyper nationalism” to hide its failures. The event will also clash with the opposition’s own “black day” events on November 8.
“It is a deliberate attempt by BJP to cover up its failures on demonetisation. BJP has made it a habit of resorting to religion-based politics and hyper-nationalism to avoid answering questions," Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot told the newspaper.
This comes just three days after the Jaipur mayor issued a diktat making it mandatory for municipality employees to sing the national anthem every day before the start of duty and the national song, Vande Mataram, just before the end of duty hours.
“I feel that this will help in developing a positive culture, positive energy and instill nationalism among staffers," mayor Ashok Lahoti told reporters.
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