BJP legislator Girija Shankar Sharma's strange demand has surprised even the party leaders.
Sharma wants the Madhya Pradesh government to scrap the Iqbal Award which is given to a famous Urdu writer or poet annually.
Iqbal is the poet who wrote the famous 'Sare Jahan se Achcha Hindostan Hamara' which is the most popular patriotic song in praise of the country.
But Sharma doesn't seem interested in this information as his mindset is clearly revealed by his statements. He says that there is no need for award in memory of Iqbal.
The MLA said that Iqbal was a Pakistani though the truth is that the poet died much before India's partition. Senseless it may seem but the politician has repeatedly demanded that the state government should scrap this award.
Allama Iqbal had also stayed in Bhopal for sometime. His 'Sare Jahan se Achchha..' anthem is enough to put him on a high pedestal in independent India. Sadly, a section of right-wing politicians remain blind in their anti-Muslim campaign.
[Newspaper cutting courtesy: Prabhat Kiran, Indore]
