‘Jai Hind, Bharat Mata Ki Jai all coined by Muslims'

KOZHIKODE: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said Sangh Parivar, insists that citizenship should be denied to people with Muslim names and also trying to erase cultural history of the country, should realise that it was Azimullah Khan, a Muslim, who coined the slogan ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’.
Inaugurating the anti-CAA rally organised by CPM at Malappuram, Vijayan said Sangh Parivar was not only trying to turn Muslims into second-class citizens but was also viewing them as a section that should be ousted 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 not to chant the slogan as it was coined by a Muslim,” he said.
Vijayan said the slogan ‘Jai Hind’ was also the contribution of a Muslim, former diplomat Abid Hasan Safrani. “Muslims along with other sections have played a big role in securing the country’s independence,” he said. The CM targeted Congress for its silence during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act when it was passed in 2019.