Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 18 (ANI): Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao criticised the lack of action from the Assembly Speaker against the AIMIM MLAs who staged a walkout while the full rendition of Vande Mataram was being played in the assembly.
N Ramchander Rao, exemplifying Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U T Khader’s walkout over lack of replies to queries raised by MLAs, said that Telangana Assembly speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar should have at least issued a show-cause notice to the AIMIM MLAs.
“UT Khader reportedly walked out during the Question Hour when the ministers did not reply to the queries raised by the members. Perhaps it was a good gesture by the Speaker, as he wanted the government ministers to respond to the questions raised by the opposition. Unfortunately, in Telangana, a similar situation arose when the AIMIM MLA walked out during Vande Mataram,” he said.
“At the very least, a show-cause notice should have been issued. In parliamentary or legislative procedure, the Speaker has a great responsibility in controlling and regulating the behaviour of members, including that of ministers,” he added.
Earlier, BJP leader Prakash Reddy labelled AIMIM MLAs walk out as an “insult to the nation”.
“AIMIM party MLAs yesterday insulted not only the people of Telangana or Hyderabad, but they also insulted the entire 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.
The controversy erupted after the Central Government mandated the complete rendition of Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, to be sung at official state functions, government events, and school assemblies.
Some have objected to singing all six stanzas of Vande Matram and prefer to sing the first two stanzas, which were adopted as the national song by the Constituent Assembly in 1950. (ANI)