Are people who choose not to sing India's national song unpatriotic?

On Tuesday, Deobandi organisation Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind asked members of the community not to sing Vande Mataram and supported the Darul Uloom opposing any recitation involving the song.

"The fatwa of Darul Uloom [opposing the recitation of Vande Mataram] is correct," said one of the 25 resolutions passed at its 30th general session, in the presence of Union home minister P Chidambaram. Darul Uloom issued the edict in 2006, describing the recitation of Vande Mataram as anti-Islamic.

The BJP was quick to attack the home minister, with party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi accusing Chidambaram of providing legitimacy to the fatwa. The minister, however, claimed innocence. A statement issued by his office said he was not present in Deoband when the resolution was adopted.

Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray also hit out against the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind for issuing the fatwa, saying those who oppose the national song should go to Pakistan.

The fatwa drew mixed reactions from Muslim leaders, with one section voicing disapproval against the raising of a "dead issue" at a time when the community has more serious matters to address, and another noting that singing the Vande Mataram (or not) should not be the criteria to define patriotism.

Are people who choose not to sing India's national song unpatriotic? Or is it against the nature of democracy for leaders to lash out at those who peacefully express their opinion?