Asaduddin Owaisi, the president of AIMIM, caused controversy on Tuesday by using the phrase “Jai Palestine” to end his oath of office as a member of parliament for Hyderabad in the Lok Sabha. Numerous leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have stated that Owaisi’s disqualification from Parliament for “demonstrating adherence to a foreign State” could result from the slogan, which has since been removed from the Lok Sabha records.
After taking the oath in Urdu, Owaisi, who was elected from the Hyderabad seat for the sixth time, not only praised his state, Telangana, and BR Ambedkar, but he also shouted the chant “Jai Palestine” (Hail Palestine), which caused a stir.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju stated that he would review the regulations after receiving objections from certain members regarding Owaisi’s remarks regarding Palestine. “We do not have any enmity with Palestine or any other country. The only issue is, while taking the oath, is it proper for any member to raise the slogan praising another country? We will have to check the rules,” he said.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted on X a snippet of Article 102 of the Constitution and a video clip of Owaisi’s slogan. “As per extant rules, Asaduddin Owaisi can be disqualified from his Lok Sabha membership for demonstrating adherence to a foreign State, that is Palestine,” Malviya said.
The grounds for being disqualified from serving as a member of Parliament are outlined in Article 102.
Speaking with reporters outside the Parliament, Owaisi defended his act. “Other members are also saying different things… How is it wrong? Tell me the provision of the Constitution. You should also listen to what others say. I said what I had to. Read what Mahatma Gandhi had said about Palestine,” he said.
When asked why he mentioned Palestine, Owaisi said, “They are oppressed people.”
The Anti-Defection Act, also referred to as the Tenth Schedule, penalises individual Members of Parliament (MPs) for switching parties. It establishes the guidelines for disqualifying elected officials for switching to a different political party.
India is in favour of a two-state solution to put an end to Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians. In reality, in recent years, it has expanded the financial support for welfare organisations that assist Palestinian refugees.
