AIMIM's Owaisi says 'India moving toward becoming a theocratic nation' amid Vande Mataram row

New Delhi [India], February 14 (ANI): In a blistering attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said that the party and the organisation are pushing India towards becoming a 'theocratic nation'.
His remarks come after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued detailed guidelines for the national song Vande Mataram, stating that when both the National Song and the National Anthem are performed at an event, all six stanzas of Vande Mataram's official version must be presented first.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Owaisi said, "This should not be made a test of loyalty...The way the BJP and RSS are taking forward the nation, it will become a theocratic nation."
Owaisi said that the Constitution begins with "We the people," not slogans like "Bharat Mata ki Jai," and highlighted that Article 25 guarantees the fundamental right to freedom of religion, adding that citizens do not need any "certificate of loyalty."
"...Our Constitution begins with 'We the people', not with 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'...Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees the fundamental right to freedom of religion...Do they want to finish the national anthem?... What about my freedom of religion?... We don't need any certificate of loyalty," he said.
The MHA instructions on 'Vande Mataram' coincide with the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the creation of the song.
Further, Owaisi criticised demands to award Bharat Ratna to Veer Savarkar, saying that the Justice Kapoor Commission had named Savarkar a conspirator in Mahatma Gandhi's assassination.
His remarks came after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat suggested that awarding Savarkar the Bharat Ratna would enhance the award's prestige.
"Justice Kapoor Commission was constituted after the murder of Mahatma Gandhi, and it said that Veer Savarkar is a conspirator in this murder...They can also give Bharat Ratna to Nathuram Godse if they want," Owaisi said. (ANI)