Owasi flayed in Parl over ‘Bharat mata’ remark

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi was on Tuesday attacked in Parliament for his remark that he would not chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ even if a knife is put to his throat. 

“I say Bharat Mata ki Jai. But kuch logo ko uspe bhi apatti hai (But some people have objection with that also),” Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said in the Lok Sabha, without naming Owaisi. Naidu said he considers India as his motherland and wants to repeatedly chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.

In Rajya Sabha, lyricist-turned-MP Javed Akhtar slammed Owaisi, in a veiled manner. “There is one leader, who is not a national leader, not even a state leader, but a mohalla leader of Hyderabad. He says he will not say ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ because the Constitution does not ask him to do so. The Constitution even does not ask him to wear sherwani (dress) and topi (cap),” he said.

“I don’t care to know whether saying ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ is my duty or not. It is my right,” Akhtar said and then chanted ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ a number of times.