Tensions flared in the Maharashtra legislative Assembly on Wednesday as a protest erupted among several MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The cause of the uproar was remarks made by Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi regarding Vande Mataram, the national song of India.

Azmi’s statement that “we can’t bow our heads to Vande Mataram because we believe in one Allah” stirred a heated exchange between the BJP and the Opposition alliance, to which the Samajwadi Party belongs.

Advertisement

Abu Azmi further expressed disapproval of chanting Vande Mataram, citing religious reasons and saying, “We can not bow down our heads on Vande Mataram because we believe in one Allah. We don’t bow our heads to our mother.”

The BJP MLAs strongly objected to his views, leading to Speaker Rahul Narwekar intervening to call for decorum and focus on the listed issues for discussion. However, the protest persisted, leading the Speaker to adjourn the House for more than 10 minutes.

The controversy further sparked a political storm, compelling Abu Azmi to clarify his stance on the issue outside the Maharashtra assembly. He stated, “I respect Vande Mataram, but I do not want to read it because my religion says we should not bow down to anyone except Allah.”

In response to this, Bharatiya Janata Party national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla criticized Abu Azmi’s statement, questioning the opposition alliance’s commitment to India. Poonawalla highlighted that the newly formed coalition, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), claimed to uphold India in its name but allegedly failed to prioritize Indian values.

As the political debate raged on, Poonawalla challenged prominent leaders of the newly formed alliance, including Mamata Banerjee, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Rahul Gandhi to clarify their stance on the matter. Many other social media users have called the politician out for the same on social media.