Bharat Mata Ki Jai row: A timeline of events

For the last month, there has been a controversy brewing over the slogan Bharat Mata Ki Jai ever since on March 3, Mohan Bhagwat said that the new generation needs to be taught to chant slogans hailing Mother India. Here’s a time line of events:

March 3                   

Youth must be taught to chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai: Mohan Bhagwat

‘Now the time has come when we have to tell the new generation to chant `Bharat Mata Ki Jai' (hail mother India). It should be real, spontaneous and part of all-round development of the youth,’ he said. Bhagwat, without making any direct reference to the JNU controversy, said this is necessary as ‘some forces’ are telling the youth not to say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’.

Bhagwat was speaking at RSS headquarters in Reshimbagh during an award giving function. On the occasion, the RSS chief presented ‘Matrashakti’ award to social activist Sindhutai Sapkal.

The incident didn’t get too much attention until AIMIM leader Asaduiddin Owaisi waded into the controversy.

March 14

Owaisi hits back

‘I don't chant that slogan. What are you going to do, Bhagwat sahab,’ Owaisi said. ‘I won't utter that (slogan) even if you put a knife to my throat,’ Owaisi said, amid loud applause by the crowd. ‘Nowhere in the Constitution it says that one should say: Bharat Mata ki Jai,’ he said.

Salman Khursheed wades in

When asked about Asaduddin Owaisi’s statement that he would never say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ even if a knife was put on his neck, Khursheed said, ‘He would say something else. He would say ammi zindabaad or meri walida zindabaad. His tongue and my tongue would not be the same. Everybody have their own tongue.’

Kailash Vijayvargiya’s demonstrates tact

 ‘I feel that those who don't want to chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai has no right to stay in India. They should go to some other country,’ Vijayvargiya told reporters.

March 15

Javed Akhtar gives emotional retirement speech

Retiring from the RS, Javed Akhtar joined the debate saying: “the Constitution even does not ask him to wear sherwani (dress) and topi (cap)... I don't care to know whether saying 'Bharat mata ki jai' is my duty or not, it is my right." He then chanted 'Bharat mata ki jai' a number of times. At the same time, he condemned those right-wing extremists also who say Muslims should go to Pakistan.

He also said that these days "fringe" elements are rising and emphasised the need to protect secularism to save democracy and the Constitution. Underlining that there cannot be democracy without secularism, Akhtar said protecting secularism is not about protecting one community or the other. "We need to protect secularism because there cannot be democracy without it. I believe this is our greatest achievement."

March 16

AIMIM MLA suspended from Maha Assembly for refusal to chant slogan

AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan was suspended from Maharashtra Assembly for refusing to say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' with legislators cutting across party lines pressing for action against him through a unanimous resolution.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Girish Bapat said, ‘Pathan was suspended from Assembly for showing disrespect to national heroes and refusal to say Bharat Mata ki Jai.’ It all began when All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA from Aurangabad, Imtiaz Jaleel, was speaking on the debate on the Governor's address in the Assembly.

Jaleel said the government should not spend taxpayers' money on building memorials of 'great personalities'.

A Shiv Sena MLA interjected, saying Jaleel's party leader Asaduddin Owaisi had recently stated he will not chant 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'.

To this, Pathan said, ‘We will say 'Jai Hind' but not 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. There cannot be compulsion on saying 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. The Constitution does not say this.’ Immediately after his remarks, MLAs from ruling BJP and Shiv Sena and other Opposition parties including Congress and NCP demanded suspension of AIMIM legislators from the House.

March 16

The law takes its course

A private complaint was today filed in a Hyderabad court seeking direction to police to register a case against AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi over his speech wherein he said he would not chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' even if a ‘knife is put to my throat’.

Petitioner Sai Kumar Goud, a businessman, filed a complaint in the court of 20th Metropolitan Magistrate at Malkajgiri alleging that Owaisi's speech was defamatory, and sought direction to the police for registration of an FIR under IPC section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.) and to further investigate the matter.

March 17

Take away his citizenship: Shiv Sena

 Launching a scathing attack on AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi for his refusal to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, the Shiv Sena sought revocation of citizenship and voting rights of those who refuse to chant the slogan. The Sena also sought to know from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis how Owaisi was allowed to leave the state after he refused to chant the pro-India slogan.

March 17

Naidu takes aim

‘I don't understand why people have objections to raising 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. It has no religious connotation. It's not related to any religion. I don't understand what's wrong in this’, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said. ‘The followers of Qasim Rizvi (head of anti-India Razakars who fought to retain the Nizam rule in Hyderabad before he moved to Pakistan) had objection to raising the slogan,’ he said. Naidu asked, ‘If you don't salute your mother, who else will you salute’’

March 19

One must not be asked to prove their patriotism: Omar Abdullah

‘I am what I am; I don’t have to prove this to anyone. Neither do I need a certificate from someone. I will never raise any slogans to prove anyone or for anyone’s happiness. I am saying I've no problem with the slogan of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ but why are you asking for a certificate to prove nationalism’’ Abdullah told the media. ‘I know what I feel for my nation, I don't need to prove it to anyone by raising any slogans. I am what I am why should I need a certificate or produce one,’ he added.

March 21

It has nothing to do with religion: Venkaiah Naidu

 ‘I wonder why this debate is going about ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. It is a commitment to the nation. When you say Bharat Mata Ki Jai, you are saying Jai to the nation’ we are saluting our motherland,’ Naidu said. ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai has no religious connotation. It is salutation to the people. I want to make it very clear it is not simply saying the slogan. When you say ‘Jai Ho Bharat’ then people living in India should all be encouraged, they should all be given the needed support and their interests have to be taken care. By saying ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, we reiterate our commitment to the fellow citizens of the country,’ he added.

March 23

LK Advani says ‘no comments’

‘I don't want to comment on it. This is a meaningless controversy ('yeh ek vyarth vivad hai')’ Advani told reporters in Gandhinagar on sidelines of an event when asked for his comment on the issue.

March 28

Shiv Sena demands PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti raise pro-national slogans

 ‘I believe raising slogans like ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Hind’ is definitely a proof of nationalism. It comes from within, there is no need for force. If your thinking has changed, then Mehbooba Mufti must raise the slogan before taking oath,’ Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told ANI. ‘It has been the nature of Mehbooba Mufti to be sympathetic towards Afzal Guru. These people are not ready to call him a terrorist. The BJP-PDP alliance has been formed in Jammu and Kashmir. An environment of nationalism has been created in the nation. Now, the question is whether Mehbooba ji will raise the slogan of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’,’ he added.

March 29

Don’t force anyone: Mohan Bhagwat

“We have to create so great an India that people will themselves say Bharat Mata ki Jai. We don’t need to force it on anybody. We have to give direction to the world with our life. There is no need to force our system and thoughts on anyone; there should be a desire to consider the whole world as ours,” a statement issued by RSS affiliate Bharatiya Kisan Sangh quoted Bhagwat as saying.

April 1

Islamic seminary says Bharat Mata Ki Jai would un-Islamic

A bench of eight ‘muftis’ (Islamic scholars) has issued a signed statement on the issue after the seminary received numerous queries from Muslims asking for clarity on the contentious issue. The statement clearly says that chanting ‘Bharat maata ki jai’ would be against the tenets of Islam as it is ‘akin to idol-worship’.

‘We love our country as we and our generations before us were born here. But we do not consider it our God / Goddess,’ the statement says pointedly. ‘‘We received thousands of queries on the issue so Darul Uloom Deoband has issued a 'fatwa' saying 'Bharat mata ki Jai' is not in consonance with Islam and we will not say it. But we love our country immensely as our 'Madre Vatan' (motherland) and we can raise slogans like 'Hindustan Zindabad',’ the seminary spokesman Ashraf Usmani told reporters on Friday. ‘It is not allowed in Islam to represent the country as a Goddess' idol and raise slogans hailing her,’ he added.

April 2

Manish Tewari attacks RSS and Darul Uloom Deoband

 ‘All those who try and do petty politics in the name of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ are really trying to divide this country. They are two sides of the same coin,’ Congress leader Manish Tewari told ANI. ‘The ones who raise this controversy, need to be condemned in the strongest terms, and the ones who issue fatwas, that particular slogan, in this case ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, should not be shouted, need to be equally condemned with strongest force at our command,’ he added.

April 3

Smriti Irani weighs in

 ‘Chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' is a matter of emotion. Every human being has the right to chant for mother or for the motherland,’ she told reporters.

Fadnavis joins the fray

In an address Maha CM Fadnavis was quoted saying:  ‘If you want to live in this country then you have to say Bharat Mata ki Jai, otherwise you have no right to live here. Some people say we will not say Bharat Mata ki Jai. Then what’ Pakistan ki jai or China ki jai’.’ He added: ‘Went to a Mazar in Mumbai, hundreds of Muslim priests chanted Bharat Mata ki Jai.Those who say Bharat ke tukde honge will fail.’

AIIO Chief Imam hits back

 ‘No one has a right to decide as to who would live in this country or not. If you force certain things on people then it would give rise to hatred. People on such responsible positions should refrain from making such statement,’ Ilyasi told ANI.

April 4

Heads will roll: Baba Ramdev

In a statement, yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Sunday said he respects the Constitution of India or else he would have cut hundreds of heads for not chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. ‘If someone says that he won’t chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai even if his head is chopped off’. I want to say there is a rule of law and we respect the Constitution, otherwise we can cut hundreds and thousands of heads,’ Ramdev told the media. ‘People should be ashamed of talking such things and should give respect to their motherland,’ he added.

Fadnavis issues clarification

 ‘Media picked only ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and that too only a part of it. It clearly proves that a section of media is interested in creating controversy only,’ he said.

Naqvi: Saying Bharat Mata KI Jai doesn’t make you patriotic

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday said chanting nationalist slogans is not a proof of anyone’s love for the nation.

 ‘Nationalist slogans should not be ridiculed like this, it is not like it is in fashion to chant slogans like ‘bharat mata ki jai’. Chanting or not chanting such slogans do not decide that one person is a nationalist or not. Such issues over shadow the real problems prevailing in the country and this should not happen,’ said Naqvi.

April 5

Mani Shankar says he will chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai with a rider

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said if the slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' means 'Janta Ki Jai', he is ready to be part of the rhetoric which has become a hot button issue in the country. ‘I don't have to wait for khaki knicker-clad men to tell me. We are chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' for a long time, but along with Jai Hind and Jai Bharat,’ the former Union Minister told reporters.

Azam Khan demands apology from Ramdev

Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan has demanded yoga guru Ramdev's apology for his remarks over chanting of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', terming the utterances ‘malicious’.‘How a person who had fled from Ramlila Ground (in Delhi) by putting on a woman's dress can talk of beheading those raising dissenting voices,’ Khan, who is in Australia, said in a statement. 

WIth inputs from agencies