Bhopal, Dec 20: Two senior legislators from Madhya Pradesh's capital city Bhopal indulged in a bitter war of words over the national anthem in government-funded madrasas operating in the state. 

Initially, it began after 54-year-old Rameshwar Sharma, a BJP MLA from Huzur Assembly constituency, made a statement in the Assembly, demanding that the national anthem must be made compulsory in madrasas.

"If the government provides lands and financial assistance for madrasas, then why can't the national anthem be made mandatory there? What is wrong with it? The rule should be equal to all government-funded educational institutions," Sharma said.

Responding to Sharma's demand, Arif Masood, a 52-year-old Congress MLA from the Bhopal Madhya Assembly constituency, criticised him, saying that the BJP MLA should visit madrasas before making any irrelevant statement in the Assembly.

Masood said, "Had the BJP MLA (Rameshwar Sharma) ever visited madrasas, he must have learned that every child enrolled in madrasas recites the national anthem without any break."

He also claimed that the BJP MLA can't even recite the national anthem.

"I have seen one of his (Rameshwar) videos. He can't even recite the national anthem," Congress MLA added while talking to the media persons.

This statement by Masood apparently wasn't received well by Sharma, and the latter hit back at the Congress MLA.

Sharma, a three-time BJP MLA, who is making efforts to establish himself as a Hindutva leader in Madhya Pradesh, challenged Masood for reciting the national anthem at a public place.

"Mai use challenge karta hun ki agar aata hai rashtragan to gaye. Agar tu rashtragan ga ke dikhaye mere samne to main uske liye tali bajaunga (I would challenge him to recite the national anthem. If he could do it, I would clap for him," Sharma said on Thursday.

Amid the ongoing war of words between Sharma and Masood, another senior BJP MLA, Usha Thakur on Thursday said making the national anthem in all educational institutions, including madrasas, would be a welcoming step.

Former Minister Usha Thakur, who is an MLA from Indore's Mhow, said, "Patriotism should be mandatory in all schools and colleges without any questions. It would be a welcoming step because our children should learn about patriotism."

--IANS