Bharat Mata Ki Jai has become political tool for dividing Hindus and Muslims, for polarization of votes in this country. Some right wing activists become hyper over this, but by shunning the controversy Mohan Bhagwat of RSS stirred controversy saying that the younger generation needed to be taught to hail “Mother India”. Amid a raging debate over the chanting of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai,’ Bhagwat said the slogan could not be forced down upon people but efforts should be made to build an India where it was chanted voluntarily. Why the people have gone so frenzy over the matter which if practically seen is not an issue? If anyone wants to say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, let him say. If anyone is not interested in saying it, then why should he be questioned? When there are many burning issues to be solved, it is pure madness to rake up meaningless topics.
Surprisingly, RSS or its other organisations never explained why only “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and not any other slogan such as “Hindustan Zindabad”, “Jai Hind”, “Jai Hindustan” or “Hail India” etc. This is the organization which earlier preferred ‘Hindustan’ over ‘Bharat’ and ‘Bharat’ over ‘India’. This entire episode is meant to expose those who find the whole concept of “Bharat Mata” to be against their religion and ideology.
Meanwhile, during the ongoing debate over the chanting of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, Darul-Uloom Deoband, the leading Islamic seminary of the Indian subcontinent, on Friday said Muslims love “Bharat Mata” (Mother India) but they cannot worship their “maadre-watan (mother land)”. In a fatwa issued to Muslims, the seminary said the slogan goes against “tauheed” (the idea of worshipping one god), which forms the core of Islam. Well, the communally charged atmosphere where fringe Hindutva groups advocate force to make Muslims chant the slogan, Darul-Uloom Deoband referred to the Constitution of India and said forcing people to chant the slogan goes against the statute which allows its citizens of various faiths to practice their respective religions. The fatwa comes days after it was reported from the national capital that three madrasa students were beaten up allegedly after they refused to chant the slogan. The seminary issued the fatwa, which stands as mere an opinion and is not binding in response to several letters for its view on chanting the slogan, which has seen intense polarisation in social media. The opinion of Darul-Uloom is shared by a large number of religious seminaries and other religious groups across all the sects among Indian Muslims. Even after the recent positive meet of Sufi groups with the Prime Minister, none of them have yet come forward in support of the controversial slogan. The fatwa predictably evoked a strong reaction from the BJP.
The fatwa went onto explain in detail about the love Muslims have for the country, stating that,” India is our motherland and we love it a lot. But we cannot worship our motherland because of the essential belief that we worship only one God and that is Allah”. Nobody has the right to go against the Constitution and take law in their own hands by forcing somebody to do something which goes against the idea of the Constitution of India,” concluded the fatwa.
It seems that some are bent upon creating troubles for the Modi government. Who asks whom to worship Bharatmata? Chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ is not worshiping. It is just a slogan hailing the nation. Mother…means symbolization. Crores among the Hindus reject the core Gods and Goddesses of Hinduism. None can force on anything. Simply somebody told ‘hail, mother India, it is not going to be legalised. Why everything on religious lines? No religion is unified. Language, culture, tradition, political and social contexts, legal schools and their interpretations, existence of other religions in modern world, etc., are all influence people way of understanding and worshiping any religion. Understanding of religion differs from person to person, from place to place and country to country. Nationalism and patriotism of a person for a country can be expressed in various ways. Need of the hour is to separate it from ‘Extremism’.
