A controversy erupted on Monday after Islamist political outfit All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)’s legislator from Bihar insisted that the draft for the oath in Urdu should have “Bharat”, instead of “Hindustan”.
While asserting that he had “no problems with the word Hindustan,” Newly elected AIMIM’s legislator, Akhtarul Iman, who is also the Bihar state president of the party, said, “I had raised no objections. I had simply made a point that whenever we read the Preamble of the Constitution, in whichever language, it mentions the word Bharat. In the light of this fact I felt that since we are taking oath in the name of the Constitution, it would be proper if use the same term for the name of our country.”
Pro-tem Speaker Jitan Ram Manjhi maintained that as per convention those who take oath in Urdu said “Hindustan”. The chair, however, permitted him to use the word Bharat.
“Hindustan is a commonly used word but some people create unnecessary controversy in a bid to look different”, said former minister and Janata Dal-United MLA Madan Sahni.
BJP MLA Neeraj Singh Bablu said, “Those who have a problem with uttering Hindustan, should go to Pakistan”.
