“Tolerant & Liberal” Rajiv Gandhi’s Response to National Anthem Controversy
Having already enjoyed the heady feeling of having snubbed the Supreme Court in the Shah Bano case, a few months prior to this judgment, Rajiv Gandhi decided to show once again to the judges of the Apex Court that the will of the Gandhi scion like that of his mother stood supreme and was above any court of law.
On September 12, 1986 he defiantly declared that his government would suitably amend the Constitution to make singing of the national anthem compulsory if the Supreme Court did not correct its decision regarding the singing of the national anthem. (, 13 September, 1986).
(The context of this jingoistic statement openly challenging the wisdom of the Supreme Court has to be kept in mind.
After having become the darling of Muslim Mullahs over Shah Bano case, Rajiv had tried to also become theby ordering the reopening of the Ram Lalla Mandir in February 1986.
The row over the national anthem gave Rajiv Gandhi an opportunity to prove his secular and nationalist credentials because the Shah Bano Case and opening of Ram Lalla Mandir made him vulnerable to the charge of placating both Hindu and Muslim religious extremists.
Source: Reddit
