Asaduddin Owaisi may have expected to get some publicity with his “I don’t chant Bharat Mata ki Jai. What are you going to do, Bhagwat sahab.. I won’t utter that (slogan) even if you put a knife to my throat.” He also had defended his argument by saying that the Constitution does not mandate anyone to chant the slogan. But the controversy following it is not going well for him and his party workers. The Maharashtra Assembly witnessed high drama on Wednesday as Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLA Waris Pathan was suspended from the House for refusing to chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.
BJP members had cornered Pathan and asked him to say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ earlier, to which he refused. Following this, chaos broke in the Assembly, after which Pathan was suspended.
BJP’s Shaina NC was the first to react on the suspension and said: “If a person chooses to behave in an unparliamentary manner, it is well within the jurisdiction of a Speaker to take a stand which would set an example.” Almost all political parties including congress and Shivsena have condemned the statement made by Owaisi. Maharashtra assembly has made a strong statement with this suspension and the messiah is loud and clear. You try to politicize patriotism in the name of religion, we won’t tolerate it!!
