TIA NEWS /
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen AIMIM, MLA Waris Pathan has been suspended from the Maharashtra assembly after he refused to say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.
MLAs Cutting across party lines Wednesday adopted a resolution unanimously to take action against him.
Pathan, who represents Byculla in south Mumbai, will not be allowed to attend proceedings of the House for the remainder of the Budget session.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Girish Bapat said, “Pathan was suspended from the assembly for showing disrespect to national heroes and refusal to say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.”
While participating in the debate on the Governor’s address to the House, Imtiaz Jaleel, AIMIM MLA from Aurangabad, said the government should not spend taxpayers’ money on building memorials. This prompted a Shiv Sena MLA to say Jaleel’s party leader Asaduddin Owaisi had said he will not chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.
At this, Pathan said, “We will say ‘Jai Hind’ but not ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. There cannot be any compulsion on saying ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. The Constitution does not say this.”
Immediately after his remarks, MLAs from the BJP and Shiv Sena and other Opposition parties including Congress and NCP demanded suspension of AIMIM MLAs from the House.
Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse said AIMIM MLAs should apologise but other legislators demanded their suspension. Bapat said he will table a resolution seeking approval of the House for suspension of AIMIM MLAs, after which it was adjourned for 10 minutes. It was adjourned thrice amid protests.
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,” he said.
“During his suspension period, Pathan won’t be able to attend House proceedings and won’t be allowed near the Vidhan Sabha premises,” Patil said.
Speaker Haribhau Bagade informed the House that the resolution had been adopted unanimously.