New Delhi

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, alleging that their actions were pushing India towards becoming a “theocratic nation”.

His remarks came in response to recent guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on the national song Vande Mataram. The ministry clarified that when both the National Song and the National Anthem are performed at an event, all six stanzas of the officially recognised version of Vande Mataram must be rendered first. The instructions coincide with the 150th anniversary of the composition of the song.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Owaisi said such directives should not be turned into a measure of patriotism or loyalty. “This should not be made a test of loyalty. The way the BJP and RSS are taking the nation forward, it will become a theocratic nation,” he said.

The AIMIM chief stressed that the Constitution begins with “We the People” and not with political slogans. Referring to Article 25, which guarantees freedom of religion, he said citizens do not require any “certificate of loyalty”.

“Our Constitution begins with ‘We the People’, not with ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. Article 25 guarantees the fundamental right to freedom of religion. What about my freedom of religion? We don’t need any certificate of loyalty,” Owaisi said.

He also criticised demands to confer the Bharat Ratna on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, citing findings of the Justice Kapoor Commission, which had named Savarkar as a conspirator in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Owaisi’s comments followed a statement by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who had suggested that awarding the Bharat Ratna to Savarkar would enhance the prestige of the honour.

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“Justice Kapoor Commission was constituted after the murder of Mahatma Gandhi and it said that Savarkar was a conspirator in this murder. They can also give the Bharat Ratna to Nathuram Godse if they want,” Owaisi said.