Venkaiah Naidu on 'Vande Mataram' row: ‘If not mother, will you salute Afzal Guru?’

After a mayor in Uttar Pradesh ruled that singing of national song, ‘Vande Mataram’, before local body meetings was not necessary, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu asked if not the motherland, should they salute Afzal Guru. ‘Wondering as to why some people refuse to sing Vande Mataram,’ the Vice President said the slogan meant salute to the motherland. Naidu further emphasized that Hinduism was ‘our culture, our tradition’ adding that some people were trying to give narrow meaning to it and attacking patriotism, nationalism.