Mumbai: Reacting to the Maharashtra government's recent decision of saying 'Vande Mataram' on phone calls instead of 'Hello', several opposition leaders have taken a flay at the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government. Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi raised questions about Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's loyalties to his state highlighting his sudden abandonment of the phrase 'Jai Maharashtra'.
"Every time I met Balasaheb Thackeray, I heard Jai Maharashtra from his mouth. Interestingly, Balasaheb Thackeray's soldier Eknath Shinde also used to say Jai Maharashtra. But now, under his rule, the Maharashtra government issued a GR to replace it with Vande Mataram. Makes me think if the government is now willingly speaking the language of BJP and RSS, or working under their pressure," Azmi said in a video posted on his official Twitter account. He further said that a true Muslim will never say "Vande Mataram" because, in Islam, no one can be worshiped except Allah.
NCP National Spokesperson Clyde Crasto, also taking a dig at the Shinde-Fadnavis government, said the government cannot force such a move. "People should be allowed to speak of their own free will. The government cannot adopt an authoritarian attitude. Saying Vande Mataram while answering phone calls of government employees is completely wrong," he said.