Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 17 : AIMIM MLAs walking out Telangana Assembly during Vande Mataram has sparked a controversy, with BJP leader Prakash Reddy labelling it as an "insult of the nation."
Speaking with ANI, the BJP leader expressed strong disappointment.
"AIMIM party MLAs yesterday insulted not only the people of Telangana or Hyderabad, but they also insulted the total nation. They are exposed to the people of this country, and just because they boycotted the Vande Mataram song when it was sung in the assembly of Telangana, they walked out... However, I strongly feel that it is an insult to the nation, it is an insult to the people of this country... They have no faith; they have no belief in it in India; they are only loyal to Islam, and are not loyal to this country, the Constitution...," he said.
Voicing similar concerns, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Monday hit out at AIMIM MLAs for walking out of the Telangana assembly while Vande Mataram was being sung.
He said it was not just a protest but "a direct insult to the national song and the spirit of our motherland".
"Shameful that MIM MLAs chose to walk out of the Telangana Assembly while Vande Mataram was being sung. This isn't just a protest; it is a direct insult to the national song and the spirit of our motherland," he said in a post on X.
"Why is MIM allergic to Indian symbols? Their true colors are out for everyone to see," he added.
SP MP Rajeev Rai told ANI that respect for natiponal flag is due, but it can't be forced.
"Be it Vande Mataram or anything else, everything should be respected... But you cannot force anyone... I have asked this earlier also, that they (BJP) just tell us the five names of the people who went to jail for singing Vande Mataram or fought for independence, they have just made the issue of it... However, what is related to the nation should be respected..."