Technoglitch
Core Member
Poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar was on a song on Tuesday when he turned a staid, sedate farewell speech to colleagues in Rajya Sabha to a withering criticism of those who feel 'ashamed' of saying 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. With apparently Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi in his crosshairs, he asked the "mohalla leader from Hyderabad" if the argument against shouting the slogan is that the Constitution does not stipulate it, the same can be applied to the sherwani. "Does Constitution stipulate that one should wear sherwani?" he asked.
Reciting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' a few times, Akhtar condemned Owaisi as well as ' Musalman Ke Do Sthaan: Kabristan ya Pakistan' - the other slogan he said is often raised frequently in few Indian cities.
Akhtar said protecting secularism is not about protecting one community or the other. "We need to protect secularism because there cannot be democracy without it. I believe this is our greatest achievement." On religious freedom, he said, "These days, they call fringe, it is growing day by day. This is not required."
In last speech as Rajya Sabha member, Javed Akhtar guns for Asaduddin Owaisi - Times of India
