MP: Legislators Clash Over National Anthem in State-Funded Madrasas
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Bhopal, Dec 20 (NationPress) Two prominent legislators from Madhya Pradesh's capital, Bhopal, engaged in a fierce exchange regarding the national anthem in madrasas financed by the government.
The controversy ignited when Rameshwar Sharma, a BJP MLA representing the Huzur Assembly constituency, voiced his opinion in the Assembly, asserting that the national anthem should be obligatory in madrasas.
"If the government allocates land and financial support for madrasas, how can the national anthem not be mandatory there? What is the issue with this? The regulation should apply uniformly to all government-funded educational institutions," Sharma stated.
In response to Sharma's request, Arif Masood, a Congress MLA from the Bhopal Madhya Assembly constituency, rebuked him, suggesting that the BJP legislator should visit madrasas before making such unfounded claims in the Assembly.
Masood remarked, "Had the BJP MLA (Rameshwar Sharma) ever stepped foot in a madrasa, he would know that every student there recites the national anthem regularly."
He further asserted that the BJP MLA is incapable of reciting the national anthem.
"I have watched one of his (Rameshwar's) videos. He is unable to recite the national anthem," the Congress MLA stated while addressing reporters.
This comment from Masood evidently did not sit well with Sharma, who retaliated against the Congress MLA.
Sharma, a three-time BJP MLA striving to solidify his image as a Hindutva leader in Madhya Pradesh, challenged Masood to recite the national anthem in a public setting.
"I challenge him to recite the national anthem. If he manages to do so, I will applaud him," Sharma declared on Thursday.
As the verbal altercation continued between Sharma and Masood, another senior BJP MLA, Usha Thakur, expressed her support on Thursday, stating that making the national anthem compulsory in all educational institutions, including madrasas, would be a positive initiative.
Former Minister Usha Thakur, who represents Mhow in Indore, commented, "Patriotism should be a prerequisite in all schools and colleges without question. It would be a positive step as our children should be taught about patriotism."
