India, Nov. 7 -- As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched nationwide celebrations on Friday marking the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee ordered that Banglar Mati, Banglar Jol be made mandatory, along with the national anthem Jana Gana Mana by Rabindranath Tagore, at morning assemblies in all state-run and state-sponsored schools.

The school education department passed an order on Thursday afternoon and asked all schools to make it effective from Friday morning. Except for the national anthem, there was no state-specified prayer song for Bengal government schools earlier.

"Singing of Banglar Mati, Banglar Jol alongside Jana Gana Mana has been mad...