AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan was suspended from Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday for refusing to say Bharat Mata ki Jai. Legislators cutting across party lines demanded that action against him through a unanimous resolution.
Pathan, who represents Byculla in South Mumbai, will not be allowed to attend the proceedings of the House till the end of the ongoing Budget session.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Girish Bapat said,
Pathan was suspended from Assembly for showing disrespect to national heroes and refusal to say Bharat Mata ki Jai.
It all began when All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA from Aurangabad, Imtiaz Jaleel, was speaking during the debate on the Governor’s address.
Jaleel said the government should not spend taxpayers’ money on building memorials of ‘great personalities’.
A Shiv Sena MLA interjected, saying Jaleel’s party leader Asaduddin Owaisi had recently said, he will not chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai.
To this, Pathan said, “We will say Jai Hind but not Bharat Mata Ki Jai. There cannot be a compulsion on saying Bharat Mata ki Jai. The Constitution does not say this.”
Immediately after his remarks, MLAs from the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena and other Opposition parties including Congress and NCP demanded suspension of AIMIM legislators from the House.
Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil tabled the resolution, seeking suspension of Pathan, which was approved unanimously. He said,
Pathan has misused freedom of speech, violated Parliamentary traditions and insulted Bharat Mata (Mother India).
The resolution was tabled in keeping with the sentiments of the House, he added.
AIMIM has expressed its opposition to chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ as proposed by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
(Also read: Javed Akhtar Takes a Dig At Owaisi In Rajya Sabha Farewell Speech)
The RSS chief had said that the new generation needs to be taught to chant slogans hailing mother India. Owaisi had said he did not want to chant that slogan.
What are you going to do, Bhagwat sahab? I won’t utter that (slogan) even if you put a knife to my throat. Nowhere in the Constitution it says that one should say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai.Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM Chief
Owaisi made the statement while addressing a public rally in Udgir tehsil of Latur district on 13 March.
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