Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi on Wednesday triggered a controversy over Vande Mataram, inviting criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders.
Raising the issue of riots in Maharashtra’s Sambhaji Nagar district, Azmi said in the state Assembly that “he can’t say Vande Mataram” as his “religion believes in one God”.
“I respect ‘Vande Mataram’ but I can’t read it because my religion says we can’t bow down to anyone except ‘Allah’, ” he said.
The remarks triggered protests from the BJP MLAs present in the Assembly.
Speaking to news agency ANI, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala hit out at Azmi and accused him of always working anti-India.
“Samajwadi party is a part of I.N.D.I.A…& its MLA says in the Maharashtra assembly that I will not say Vande Mataram it is against my religion. They go and bow their heads in front of Aurangzeb but shy away from saying ‘Vande Mataram’, those who keep India in their name, why is their work always anti-India?”
Echoing Poonawala’s statement, NCP MLA Rohit Pawar said, “I don’t know his exact statement, however, no matter which religion one belongs to, everyone should love & respect the country. I believe that no one should speak against the country.”