Congress MLA Seeks Kharge's Nod to Chant 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', BJP Asks 'Why Such Hesitation?'

Bengaluru: A Congress MLA on Friday sought permission from party president Mallikarjun Kharge before leading a chant of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' (Hail, Mother India) slogan during an election rally in Karnataka' Kalaburagi, triggering a political row ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. 

Addressing the gathering, Congress' Athani MLA Laxman Savadi said, "I hope Kharge sahab doesn't misconstrue this. I wish to say this to you all. I shall say 'Bolo Bharat Mata ki Jai' and you all have to repeat it after me with tight fists".

Last year in April, the former Karnataka deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi joined the Congress party barely two days after resigning from the BJP after being denied a ticket for the state assembly polls. 

The Karnataka BJP unit was quick enough to react to the incident and slam the Congress leader over seeking permission to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ slogan. 

Karnataka BJP Chief BY Vijayendra alleged that expressing patriotism and praising "Bharat Mata" was met with guilt and clarification within the Congress ranks, contrasting it with the BJP's unwavering commitment to nationalist ideals.

"It is rather very unfortunate and depressing to know that a senior leader like Laxman Savadi hesitates to openly raise the slogan 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' on a Congress platform in front of its national president Mallikarjun Kharge. Isn't it very pitiful and dangerous that a Congress leader trying to express his patriotism and praise "Bharat Mata" feels guilty and hence seeks to clarify his stand of raising the slogan to party chief," Vijayendra said.

"Today's incident reinforces the fact that Savadi's attempt to prove Congress' patriotism is a very futile effort and can't compare itself to BJP, which has imbibed the nationalistic and patriotic ideals very much ingrained as part of its core culture," he added.

Karnataka Leader of Opposition R Ashoka also railed against Savadi and claimed that his hesitation came from witnessing Priyank Kharge advocating for those who chanted 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans.

Taking to X, he said, “MLA Laxman Savadi, who understood the true ideology of the Congress after seeing how Minister Priyank Kharge advocated on behalf of those who shouted the slogan 'Pakistan Zindabad', was now scared whether or not he should shout the slogan 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', and asked permission from Kharge. Whatever party you are in, you don't need any top leader's permission to shout 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' Savadi ji. If they misconstrue, so be it. Bharat Mata ji Jai!”