Congress today downplayed the role of its Maharashtra MLAs in the suspension of an AIMIM MLA from the Assembly but warned BJP that attempts to "divide the country" on the issue of chanting of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' is dangerous.
"Bharat Mata ki Jai, Jai Hind, Mera Bharat Mahan are synonyms of the same emotion. To try and divide this country on this litmus test is reducing nationalism to a reductionist binary. This is dangerous for India," party spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters.
Noting that there are "millions of ways" in which emotion or sentiment is expressed, he decried attempts to project anyone as anti-national if he does not do so in a particular way.
"When Netaji Bose said Jai Hind and Bhagat Singh said Inquilab Zindabad were they less nationalist than those who said Bharat Mata ki Jai," he asked.
Targeting BJP, he said it was ironic that pseudo nationalists have become the "contractors" of nationalism in the country.
He wondered that a party, whose "predecessors and ideological mentors had no role to play in the freedom struggle" are now raising the issue of nationalism.
"The only reason the bogey of nationalism is being raised is to cover the inadequacies and failures of the past 22 months," he said taking potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rather than raising the bogey of nationalism, it would be more appropriate if the Prime Minister answered questions on
Governance.
"Modi ji what happened to the rhetoric of terror and talks can't go hand in hand? Why is it that the common man is not able to afford even the basic necessities? Why are food prices going through the roof?
"Why in the past 22 months is social harmony shattered and political stability undermined?"
On a volley of questions on the Maharashtra issue, he said, "If there is any digression, deviation, what context, what triggered... General Secretary in charge has the liberty to revisit the issue at a later date."
Maharashtra Assembly had recently unanimously suspended AIMIM MLA from Mumbai, Waris Pathan, accusing him of disrespecting the country, after he said he would not chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' even at the cost of his life.
"I am not here to answer for Owaisi. All I am trying and repeatedly emphasising and underscore is that nationalism is not a reductionist binary," he said in reply to questions on AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi who has created a controversy by insisting he would not chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'.
