Activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) staged a mass protest in Lucknow against the Muslims clergy for issuing fatwa, asking the Muslims not to sing India's national song Vande Mataram.

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind passed the fatwa on Vande Mataram during its 30th general session held at the Islamic seminary in Deoband on Tuesday by contending that some of the verses of the song are against the tenets of their religion.

Reacting to this dictum, the agitated VHP activists burnt an effigy of the Muslim organisation for raking up an issue that could hurt sentiments of the Hindu community.

The VHP activists demanded that the central government should take measures to check instances of insulting the national song.

"Again and again commenting on Vande Mataram and creating an issue of it is not acceptable. We condemn this because this has provoked sentiments of Hindus and the people of the country. If they have to stay in the country then they have to recite Vande Mataram, as it is a national song," said Dharmendra, a VHP leader, Lucknow.

VHP activists also criticised the presence of Home Minister P Chidambaram at the Deoband convention.

Meanwhile, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the ''Art of Living'' and a spiritual guru said that Vande Mataram was respecting the land of the country and should not viewed as a song that could divide two communities in the country.

Addressing a function at Dehradun, Shankar also mentioned that he would be talking to Islamic scholars to help ease the issue over singing of Vande Mataram.

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