KOHIMA, SEPTEMBER 4: The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has intensified its democratic agitation against the compulsory singing of Vande Mataram at government programmes, maintaining that it will not compromise on the issue until the Nagaland government takes a clear stand against its imposition.
Addressing a press conference in Kohima on Thursday, September 3, NSF president Mteisuding Heraang said the federation’s two-day agitation had been successful. He said the NSF had received a letter from the state government informing that a committee had been constituted to examine the issue from the legal perspective, but maintained that the Government of India’s August 6, 2026 notification provided for compulsory singing of Vande Mataram during formal government programmes.
Heraang said the NSF’s opposition was based on what it described as religious elements in the lyrics that conflict with the Christian faith of the Naga people. As part of its next phase of agitation, the NSF has directed its federating units, subordinate bodies and educational institutions to refrain from inviting the Governor of Nagaland to formal programmes, stating that the decision was aimed at avoiding situations where Vande Mataram is played under official protocol and was not a personal opposition to the Governor.
The NSF president said the federation would continue its agitation until the state government takes a definitive stand through a resolution or Bill in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. He also appealed to civil society and tribal organisations to consider a similar position and warned that the NSF would intensify its democratic agitation in the coming days.
