Ludhiana: Amid the ongoing controversy over AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi refusing to chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said that one must not be asked for a certificate to prove his or her nationalism.
"I am what I am; I don't have to prove this to anyone. Neither do I need a certificate from someone. I will never raise any slogans to prove anyone or for anyone's happiness. I am saying I've no problem with the slogan of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' but why are you asking for a certificate to prove nationalism?" Abdullah told the media here.
"I know what I feel for my nation, I don't need to prove it to anyone by raising any slogans. I am what I am why should I need a certificate or produce one," he added.
Owaisi had stirred a hornet's nest by rejecting RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's suggestion that the young generation be taught patriotic slogans like 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' stating that he won't chant the slogan "even if a knife is put to his throat".
"I don't chant that slogan. What are you going to do Bhagwat sahab?" Owaisi said at a public rally in Latur.
Leaders of various political parties, including the BJP and Congress, have condemned Owaisi's stance.
