Published 10:40 IST, November 24th 2020
If AIMIM had 50 seats it wouldn't even say Bharat: BJP's Sambit Patra to Hyderabad voters
A controversy erupted in the Bihar Assembly on Monday when an AIMIM MLA insisted that the draft for the oath in Urdu should have "Bharat" & not "Hindustan"
On Tuesday, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra has claimed that if AIMIM gets 50 seats in any state, they will refuse to take oath in the name of "Bharat". Sambit Patra's reaction came as a controversy erupted on the floor of the Bihar Assembly on Monday when a legislator from AIMIM insisted that the draft for the oath in Urdu should have "Bharat", as it is in the Constitution, instead of "Hindustan". Patra said that since AIMIM has 5 seats in Bihar, they have refused to say Hindustan and said that they will use "Bharat", but the case would be different if they get more seats. He warned the people of Hyderabad ahead of GHMC polls while seeking votes for BJP.
The demand was made by Akhtarul Iman, Bihar unit president of Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM who won from Amour constituency in Purnia district in the recently concluded Bihar elections. To his demand, pro-tem Speaker Jitan Ram Manjhi pointed out that as per convention those who take oath in Urdu said "Hindustan". The chair, however, permitted him to use the word "Bharat".
The AIMIM MLA said, "I had raised no objections. I had simply made a point that whenever we read the Preamble of the Constitution, in whichever language, it mentions the word 'Bharat'. In the light of this fact, I felt that since we are taking oath in the name of the Constitution, it would be proper if use the same term for the name of our country".
He asserted that he had "no problems with the word Hindustan" and said, "I have grown up reciting Iqbal's famous poem "Saare jahaan se achcha, Hindustan hamaara". He also appreciated the "personal choice" of Congress MLA Shakil Ahmed Khan who preferred to take oath in Sanskrit. He also dismissed suggestions that his stand would "hurt Urdu-speaking population" who have been opposed to Sanskritisation holding it to be an assertion of Hindu majoritarianism.
However, the ruling NDA reacted, "Hindustan is a commonly used word but some people create unnecessary controversy in a bid to look different", said former minister and JD(U) MLA Madan Sahni. BJP MLA Neeraj Singh Bablu remarked, "those who have a problem with uttering Hindustan, should go to Pakistan."
The AIMIM factor in Bihar
Asaduddinn Owaisi's AIMIM won 5 seats in Bihar out of the 20 he contested. However, when he was termed as B-team of BJP, he slammed the Congress and gave proof. He said that out of the 20 seats AIMIM contested, they won 5 while NDA and Mahagatbandhan had won 6 and 9 seats respectively. Owaisi pointed out that NDA's victory margin on the seats that it won- Sahebganj, Chhatarpur, Narpatganj, Pranpur, Barari, and Raniganj - was more than the votes secured by his party. Thus, NDA would have won from the aforesaid constituencies even if the AIMIM candidate was not in the fray, he explained.
Updated 10:40 IST, November 24th 2020