New Delhi: Just days before the first phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections, Congress MLA from Athani, Laxman Savadi found himself at the centre of controversy as he requested permission from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge before chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai.’ This incident occurred during an election rally in the Kalaburagi area of Karnataka, where both leaders were in attendance. The remark has sparked anger among BJP members inviting a fresh set of jibe exchanges. Savadi had switched from the BJP to Congress before last year's Assembly elections.  


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During the public address, Laxman Savadi spoke to the audience, saying, "I hope Kharge Sahab doesn't misconstrue this. I want to say this to all of you. I will say 'Bolo Bharat mata ki Jai,' and you all should repeat it after me with tight fists." 


BJP Reacts


The remarks have prompted outrage in the BJP ranks with RP Singh dubbing it a pitiful situation for the Congress party. He said that “Congress does not seek permission to chant ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ in the parliament but to say ‘Bharat mata ki Jai’, they seek permission from the party president." 


Leader of Opposition R Ashoka took a jibe as he said on 'X’, “MLA Laxman Savadi understood the true ideology of the Congress party after seeing the action of Minister Priyank Kharge who advocated on behalf of those who shouted the Pakistan Zindabad slogan. He was very scared of raising the 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' slogan within in the Congress party and asked permission from Mallikarjun Kharge." (roughly translated from Kannada). 



Earlier Controversies 


During Congress’ Nyay Yatra on March 3, party leader Rahul Gandhi mentioned that if we chant "Bharat Mata ki Jay," we should also express the same sentiment for the remaining 73% of the Indian population. Last year, on August 10, Rahul suggested that 'Bharat mata ki jai'seems to be 'unparliamentary.' 


In late March, the chant of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" again stirred debate after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan suggested it was created by a Muslim named Azimullah Khan. He claimed that the slogan originated in the 19th century under Maratha Peshwa Nana Saheb. Vijayan also questioned whether the 'sangh parivar (RSS)' would now refrain from using the slogan "since it was coined by a Muslim".