Will Sangh Parivar abandon slogan ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ coined by a Muslim, asked Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan | Image:ANI/File
Malappuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday while launching an anti-CAA rally at Mallapuram said the slogans ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Hind’ were first raised by two Muslims. Stating that Azimullah Khan, a Muslim, coined the slogan ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the ruling BJP government at the Centre, accusing it of “trying to erase the cultural history of the country.” CM Vijayan asked whether the Sangh Parivar would be ready to abandon these patriotic chants.
Reaching out to the minority community in this Muslim-dominated north Kerala district, the veteran CPI(M) leader said Muslim rulers, cultural icons and officials had played a significant role in the country’s history and independence movement.
During the rally, the Kerala CM stated that the Sangh Parivar’s agenda not only aimed to view Muslims as second-class citizens but also treat them as a group that should be expelled from the country. “We have seen some Sangh Parivar leaders coming and asking people sitting in front of them to chant the slogan Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Has the slogan been coined by any person affiliated to Sangh Parivar? The name of the person who coined it is Azimullah Khan, who was the prime minister to Maratha Peshwa Nana Saheb in the 19th century. I don’t know if they would decide tomorrow not to chant the slogan as a Muslim coined it,” he said.
Vijayan highlighted that the slogan “Jai Hind” was introduced by a Muslim, former diplomat Abid Hasan Safrani. He urged activists affiliated with the Sangh Parivar, who advocate for Muslims to leave the country, to acknowledge this historical fact. Additionally, he noted that the widely popular patriotic song “Sare Jahan Se Acha Hindustan Hamara” was composed by Muhammed Iqbal.
He emphasised that the state government would lead in opposing the agenda of the Sangh Parivar and laws such as the CAA, which he argued violate the principles of the Constitution. Vijayan further alleged that the initiatives of the Sangh Parivar are part of efforts to implement the highly divisive agenda of the RSS, which is set to celebrate its centenary in 2025.
