Day after warning over 'Mamdani's win', Mumbai BJP chief's 'Vande Mataram' invite to Abu Azmi

JUst a daytime after sparking a tilt o'er remarks on Zohran Mamdani seemly the city manager of New York City, Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam has invited Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Asim Azmi to attend the recital of the National Song “Vande Mataram” scheduled for Friday morning.Satam shared a copy of the invitation on his social media account X, tagging Azmi.“You are cordially invited. Vande Mataram is an embodiment of nationalism, unity and inspiration. You are invited to recite the song along with others,” he wrote on Thursday.The Maharashtra government has issued a directive asking all schools to sing the complete version of Vande Mataram from October 31 to November 7 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the national song. Vande Mataram was written by Bankimchandra Chatterji during the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Navami, which was on November 7 in 1875.Azmi, who represents the Mankhurd-Shivajinagar assembly constituency in Mumbai and lives in the area, had earlier opposed making the singing of Vande Mataram compulsory, saying that people of different faiths should not be forced to participate if they do not wish to do so.The ‘Khan mayor's remarksAmeet Satam’s invitation to Abu Azmi comes just a day after the Mumbai BJP chief reacted to Zohran Mamdani’s win in the NYC mayoral polls, saying that “imposition of a Khan as Mumbai mayor will not be tolerated.”He also accused the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of “vote jihad”.“The way the political colour of some international cities is changing, after seeing the surnames of a few mayors and the ‘vote jihad’ of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, it feels necessary to stay alert regarding Mumbai..!” Satam wrote in a post on X.The remarks sparked a political row in Maharashtra, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey responding to Satam's comments. He alleged that the BJP leader has been making bizarre statements about the mayor of Mumbai from the very beginning.“Ameet Satam's mental state has deteriorated. From the day he became president, he realised he was about to be wiped out... That's why he's been making bizarre statements about the mayor of Mumbai from day one... May God give wisdom to people like Ameet Satam... I confidently say that a Marathi Hindu will become the mayor here...” Dubey told ANI.Lt. Gen. (retired) HS Panag, the father of Bollywood actor Gul Panag, also reacted to Satam’s post. The military veteran questioned the choice of words, saying, “Why imposed? If at all, he or she will be elected.”