Rizvi asks madarsas students to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’

Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board has directed all madarsas functioning from its properties to celebrate Independence Day by chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ after hoisting the national flag and singing the national anthem.

“We have directed all madarsas running under Shia Waqf Board to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ after hoisting the tricolour and singing the national anthem,” Shia Waqf Board chairman Waseem Rizvi said in Lucknow on Monday. 

The Shia Waqf Board has warned of “stern action” against those not complying with the order. 

Rizvi said that there were over 1,500 madarsas and schools running on properties registered with the Shia Waqf Board in the state and they would have to abide by the directive. 

The nation will celebrate its 72nd Independence Day on August 15. 

In a letter, the Shia Waqf Board said that it would be the responsibility of caretakers and managing committees of madarsas to ensure that the orders were followed. 

Rizvi said that Muslims had no problem in calling India their Madre-Watan (motherland). “The opposition to chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ does not make any sense if people claim that India is their Madre-Watan,” he said.

Rizvi had recently said that Muslims should stop eating beef as Hindu religious sentiments should not be hurt. “Killing of cows should stop. The meat of cows is ‘haram’ in Islam as well. You cannot stop mob lynching, security personnel cannot be deployed everywhere. So a law should be made awarding strict punishment to those killing cows,” he had said.

Rizvi gave the statement after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh senior leader Indresh Kumar said that cases of mob lynching would stop when people stop killing cows. 

“I think Indreshji’s statement has a point. Religious sentiments should not be hurt. If a law is made to stop killing of cows, lynching will stop. You cannot kill someone who is given the status of a mother by a community,” he had said.

Meanwhile, objecting to the order, legal counsel of All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, Zafaryab Jilani, said that Muslims had no objection to singing the national anthem but they had objections to singing the national song ‘Vande Mataram’. 

He said that there was no provision in the Indian Constitution that made it mandatory for citizens to sing the national song.

“We sing the national anthem and we will do that on August 15. Chairman of Shia Waqf Board Waseem Rizvi has no right to issue directions asking students to sing the national song and chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai. National anthem and national song are two different things and all madarsas availing government aid should comply with the order for singing the national anthem,” Jilani said.