AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan was on Wednesday suspended from Maharashtra Assembly for this session after he refused to say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. This happened three days after AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi’s remark that he won’t chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ even if a knife is put to his throat. There was an uproar in the legislative assembly over Pathan’s refusal to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ with legislators from all the other parties demanding his suspension.
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.” When the proceedings resumed, Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil tabled the resolution, seeking suspension of Pathan, which was approved unanimously. “Pathan has misused freedom of speech, violated Parliamentary traditions and insulted ‘Bharat Mata (Mother India),” the minister said. “During his suspension period, Pathan won’t be able to attend House proceedings and won’t be allowed near Vidhan Bhawan premises,” Patil said.
Speaker Haribhau Bagade informed the House that the resolution was adopted unanimously. “Don’t judge anyone’s love for the country by just one slogan. I love my country, I was born here and I will die here. I can never ever dream of insulting my country. Jai Hind Jai Bharat Jai Maharashtra,” said Pathan after the suspension. Pathan said that chanting the slogan was a matter of choice and was not binding. “The Constitution does not say it. We will say Jai Hind. We won’t chant Bharatmata ki Jai,” he said. The house had to be adjourned three times over the issue. Meanwhile, Owaisi tweeted a quote of Rabindranath Tagore which he said should be the definition of Nationalism.