Suspension of Waris Pathan from Maharashtra State Assembly over his refusal to raise the slogan of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” has evoked a strong criticism from the president of his party Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Asaduddin Owaisi.
Owaisi, who had earlier rejected the demand of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat that every Indian should raise the slogan saying “he will not do it even if a knife was put on my throat”, criticised the action of Maharashtra Assembly saying it had set a bad precedent. "Where is it mentioned in the constitution that if a member does not raise the slogan he should be suspended", Owaisi asked.
“This is the first time in the history of India that a member was suspended from the House for not shouting a slogan. Are the Assemblies and Parliament for shouting slogans or they meant for debates and discussions”, he wondered.
Owaisi said that his party's MlA was forced to say something which the constitution allows him not to say. Stressing that it was an issue of freedom of expression if a member does not want to raise a slogan. “We have entered into a dark phase”, he said.
Apart from the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena he also targeted the Congress and NCP and said that the parties who call themselves as secular have also exposed themselves.
Meanwhile joining the raging controversy over “Bharat Mata”, a noted scholar said that whether Muslims can raise this slogan should be discussed and decided by the scholars and not the politicians.
Asifuddin Mohammed, President, Islamic Academy for Comparative Religion said that the scholars of Islam and Hindusim should discuss and a have dialogue in a cordial atmosphere and the politicians should not interfere in such issues in the best interest of the country.
He criticized the RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat for raising such issues and said that RSS was using it to divert the attention from the failure of their government at the center.