Row over 'Bharat mata ki jai': Unfortunate to see people politicising nationalist slogans, says BJP

Guwahati: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday described people trying to create religious divide over nationalist slogans as very unfortunate.

BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli told ANI "It's very unfortunate that before independence people irrespective of their caste proudly chanted the slogan of 'Bharat mata ki jai' and everyone ensured that India got its independence. Now 70 years later people for political reasons are finding faults in these nationalists slogans, there is no more love for the country or what.

"These people really owe an explanation to the country that why are they going against the sentiments that every Indian had and those who chose to stay back in India in a secular state, why today are trying to create religious divides on such issues which are nationalist issues," he added.

Joining the ongoing debate on nationalism, which is being linked to chanting of certain slogans in recent times, Maharashtra Chief Mnister Devendra Fadnavis said that every Indian will have to chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', adding that those won't shouldn't live in the country.

The Jamat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) yesterday backed the fatwa issued by the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom in Deoband against chanting of "Bharat Mata ki jai". JIH said that the attempts being made to use the slogan as a symbol of patriotism is wrong.

The Darul Uloom Deoband on Friday issued a fatwa against chanting of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', saying that the slogan goes against the tenets of Islam.

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi had stirred a hornet's nest by rejecting RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's suggestion that the young generation be taught patriotic slogans like 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' stating that he won't chant the slogan "even if a knife is put to his throat".