Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said the slogans 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Jai Hind' were first raised by two Muslims and asked whether the Sangh Parivar would be ready to abandon them.
Reaching out to the minority community in this Muslim-dominated north Kerala district, the veteran CPI(M) leader said Muslim rulers, cultural icons and officials had played a significant role in the country's history and independence movement.
Drawing examples from history to prove his point, Vijayan said a Muslim man named Azimullah Khan had coined the slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'.
"Some Sangh Parivar leaders who came here have asked those who sat in front of them to chant the slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. Who coined the slogan? I don't know whether the Sangh Parivar knows that his name is Azimullah Khan," the CM said.
He remarked that he didn't know whether they would stop using the slogan as it was a Muslim who came up with it.
Vijayan was addressing the fourth consecutive rally organised by the CPI(M) in the state against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
He said an old diplomat named Abid Hasan had first raised the slogan 'Jai Hind'.
The translations of over 50 Upanishads into Persian from its original Sanskrit text by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan's son Dara Shikoh had helped the Indian texts reach across the world, Vijayan further said.
He said that Sangh Parivar leaders and activists advocating for the extradition of Muslims from India to Pakistan ought to be acquainted with this historical context.
Along with others, Muslims also played a crucial role in the country's freedom movement, the chief minister pointed out.
