After RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said nobody should be “forced” to say Bharat Mata ki Jai, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has held that there was no need for anyone to distribute certificates as to who’s a nationalist and who’s not.
Addressing a national conference of chairman and chief executive officers of state waqf boards, Naqvi said that patriotism is the first duty of every religion. “There is no need for distributing certificates of nationalism and secularism. Nationalism is in the DNA of every true Indian. But it is a matter of concern if there is any baseless debate on patriotism and nationalism and if some people are raising questions even on the issue of nationalism.”
Naqvi said the chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai should not be fashion but it should be passion for every Indian. “Patriotism is not a part of compulsion but it’s a part of passion.”
Naqvi said the government has a strong commitment to over-all development of all sections of the society including the minorities.
Published 30 March 2016, 19:04 IST