Guwahati: The Maharashtra government, under the leadership of Eknath Shinde issued a government resolution (GR) on Saturday requiring all government personnel to use “Vande Mataram” rather than “Hello” when answering phone or mobile calls, claiming that the latter is a copy of Western culture.
According to a government decree, when receiving phone calls from residents or government officials, employees of the government or of institutions financed by the government have to say “Vande Mataram” instead of “hello.” According to the General Order (GR) published by the General Administration Department, authorities should also encourage everyone they encounter to do the same.
“The word ‘hello’ is an imitation of Western culture and just a “greeting without any specific meaning and does not evoke any affection,” GR said.
Hitting back at the government over the decision, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Waris Pathan said that the Shinde government is creating new drama just to distract the public from the real issues.
“What will you do, if we do not say Vande Mataram? Will people get jobs by uttering Vande Mataram? Will farmers’ loans be forgiven? Inflation will come down?” Waris Pathan’s questioned the government.