The Maharashtra legislative assembly on Wednesday was adjourned following a noisy protest by Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs over a remark about 'Vande Mataram' by Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi.
While raising the issue of a riot in the Sambhajinagar district, Azmi said chanting the slogan 'Vande Mataram' was unacceptable to him.
"Some people say that if one has to live in India, 'Vande Mataram' must be chanted. We can not do it. We believe only in one god,” he said.
A ruckus followed as BJP MLAs took a strong exception to the statement.
Speaker Rahul Narwekar appealed the legislators to calm down. "Azmi's comments are irrelevant to the topic. He should focus on the issue listed for the discussion," Narwekar said.
But the protest continued and the Speaker adjourned the house for ten minutes.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a swipe at the opposition parties over Azmi's remark, asking if this was their idea of 'INDIA'.
"Abu Azmi of SP says 'I won't say Vande Mataram, I won't bow my head as my religion doesn't allow it'," BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said in a tweet.
"Is this idea of I.N.D.I.A? Or is this anti-India? SP is a part of this alleged I.N.D.I.A," he tweeted, taking a swipe at the newly formed coalition of 26 opposition parties.
Setting the tone for their 2024 Lok Sabha campaign, 26 opposition parties on Tuesday formed a coalition -- Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) -- to unitedly take on the ruling NDA with Rahul Gandhi asserting that the fight will be "between INDIA and Prime Minister Narendra Modi".
Poonawalla alleged India is in the name of the opposition parties' alliance but not in their agenda.
"Earlier SP released terrorists and patronised Yakub (Memon), Afzal (Guru). Congress questioned the surgical strike, Balakot, and 26/11 was blamed on India, not Pakistan. This is their true face," he alleged.
"Will Mamata-di, Kharge ji, Rahul ji tell us their stand?" Poonawalla asked.
