Though issues of government formation in Uttarakhand where Congress government is facing a rebellion in its ranks, and Jammu and Kashmir did not come up for discussion at the meet, Jaitley said the resolution emphasised the party’s commitment to the “agenda of governance” in J&K.
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Union finance minister Arun Jaitley told reporters that BJP supports free speech and nationalism is a guiding factor for the its beliefs, but “free speech and nationalism do necessarily co-exist”.
Talking to media after meeting after two party activists in the Bathinda central jail, Mann prefaced his argument with, “According to the BJP, one who doesn’t say “Bharat Mata ki Jai” is not a patriot and can be tried for sedition…”
“But they have totally, miserably failed”.
JD(U) leader Pawan Verma seconded Azad and said the issue is being escalated also in view of forthcoming assembly polls in five states. “Similarly, refusal to hail Bharat – say ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’- in the name of freedom is also unacceptable”, it said. So, there is a need to instill a feeling of nationalism. There is a question here and it is this: Is chanting “Bharat Mata ki Jai” a constitutional obligation, as the BJP’s political resolution projects it to be?
“It is not a certificate of nationalism to chant Bharat Mata ki jai”. People have no problem with this slogan and “we saw this in Kolkata yesterday”, he said as he sought to buttress his point by referring to the spectators raising the slogan after India’s win in the cricket match with Pakistan.
By appropriating the slogan “Bharat Mata ki jai” – sometimes used interchangeably with “Vande Mataram” as a rallying cry during the freedom struggle – the BJP is trying to claim a place on a broader canvas of modern Indian history after being excluded from a big chunk of it.
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In its emphasis on nationalism as the overriding theme, the political resolution adopted at the BJP national executive makes a new assertion, draws a new connection: “Our Constitution describes India as Bharat also, refusal to chant victory to Bharat is tantamount to disrespect to our Constitution itself”.
