A generally staid swearing-in procedure in which Indian parliamentarians take the oath exploded into controversy after veteran opposition lawmaker Asaduddin Owaisi chanted “Jai Palestine” after reading the pledge on Tuesday.
In Sanskrit, the word “jai” literally translates as victory, but is used more broadly to connote support, so in effect Owaisi’s slogan was equivalent to: “Long live Palestine.”
Lawmakers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party accused him of violating the very constitutional commitment he was making by, they said, demonstrating loyalty to another nation – an accusation Owaisi denied.
So what really happened, why did Owaisi’s words become controversial, what else happened in the Indian Parliament on Tuesday and what’s next for Owaisi?
What exactly did Owaisi say?
Owaisi was sworn in as a member of parliament (MP), alongside 542 other lawmakers who were declared winners of India’s mammoth national elections.
Owaisi, dressed in a white kurta, took the podium in Parliament amid scattered applause from other parliamentarians before reading his oath in Urdu.
“I, Asaduddin Owaisi, who has been elected as a member of the Lok Sabha, swear in the name of Allah that I will remain solemn and loyal to the Constitution of India. I will maintain the supremacy and integrity of India and carry out my duties assigned to me in this office with loyalty,” he promised in Urdu. The Lok Sabha is the directly elected lower house of India’s Parliament.
Then, he sang “Jai Bhim, Jai Meem, Jai Telangana, Jai Filisteen” before walking away from the podium.
“Jai Bhim” is a pro-Dalit slogan that refers to Bhimrao Ambedkar, the Dalit founder of the Indian Constitution. Dalits have historically been at the bottom of India’s complex caste hierarchy. Meem is part of the Urdu alphabet which roughly transcribes “M” in English, and it is believed that Owaisi was referring to his party, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), better known simply as MIM – pronounced “meem”. .
Telangana is the home state of Owaisi, and Filisteen is the Urdu and Hindi word for Palestine.
Sworn in as a member of the Lok Sabha for the fifth time. Inshallah, I will continue to raise issues of India’s marginalized with sinceritypic.twitter.com/OloVk6D65B
-Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) June 25, 2024
Who is Owaisi?
Asaduddin Owaisi was a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Telangana constituency in Hyderabad since 2004. He comes from a political family and was predeceased by his father, Salahuddin Owaisi, a six-time MP from Hyderabad from 1984 to 2004.
Owaisi has also been president of AIMIM since 2008. The regional party’s manifesto advocates Muslim rights, the broader rights of all religious minorities, as well as Dalit rights. Owaisi is also known for his fiery oratory in Parliament.
During this election, AIMIM was not part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), nor was it an ally of the Congress Party-led INDIA opposition alliance.
Could the Indian MP be penalized?
By evoking Palestine and effectively invoking Israel’s war against Gaza, Owaisi aroused criticism and allegations that he had signaled his loyalty to Palestine.
BJP members argued that Owaisi flouted the Indian Constitution. BJP’s information technology chief, Amit Malviya posted on ”.
Malviya published an excerpt from Article 102 of the Indian Constitution, which sets out the grounds for disqualification from Parliament, highlighting a clause in the article that says a person will be disqualified for demonstrating membership of a foreign state.
As per the existing rules, Asaduddin Owaisi can be disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha, for demonstrating allegiance to a foreign state, i.e. Palestine.
Watch: @LokSabhaSectt pic.twitter.com/wh7bYbep8p-Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 25, 2024
However, other experts said Owaisi did not break any rules – even if he deviated from convention, like many other politicians on Tuesday.
“I do not think [Owaisi can be disqualified] because during the oath-taking, almost all the members raised different types of slogans,” political analyst and Hindi professor Apoorvanand told Al Jazeera.
Apoorvanand explained that although they took office after previous elections, parliamentarians would normally stick to the oath. “This time, the election was different and different issues were at stake. The environment was different and the members felt the need to express themselves.” The election was a tense and tight contest between the BJP and the Congress-led INDIA alliance, in which Modi’s party failed to win a majority for the first time after a decade in power, but managed to form a government in coalition with allies. .
Apoorvanand also highlighted that Owaisi’s Palestinian chant came after he had completed his official oath – in which he pledged allegiance to India.
“Saluting Palestine does not violate the Constitution of India. You have taken the oath and after that, if you say anything, it will not be recorded,” Apoorvanand said.
Even BJP’s Radha Mohan Singh, who held the post of president, tried to reassure angry BJP MPs that slogans raised after taking oath would not be recorded.
Still, local media reported that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said he would review the rules regarding this issue.
Have other MPs said anything controversial?
Chhatra Pal Singh Gangwar of the BJP ended his oath with “Jai Hindu Rashtra” (Long live the Hindu nation). The BJP’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has long advocated for India to become a Hindu state.
Gangwar’s chant drew protest slogans from lawmakers belonging to the INDIA alliance. India is constitutionally a secular nation. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav opposed the chant, saying it “was against the values of the Constitution”.
Another BJP member Atul Garg said “Narendra Modi Zindabad” [long live Modi] after he took his oath. Questioned by the opposition, he returned to the podium and said “Dr. Hedgewar Zindabad”, referring to Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS.
Did some deputies take the oath with a copy of the Constitution?
Many opposition lawmakers, including Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi and Yadav, took oath while holding a copy of the Indian Constitution in their hands as a sign of protest against the BJP’s alleged excesses under Modi.
However, Modi and other BJP leaders hit back, accusing the Congress of hypocrisy. Tuesday also marked the anniversary of the imposition of a national state of emergency by then Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975. During the state of emergency that was lifted in 1977, thousands of political critics and activists were arrested, freedoms civilians were suspended, and the press faced repression.
“Those who imposed the Emergency have no right to profess their love for our Constitution,” Modi wrote in an X post on Tuesday.
Apoorvanand argued that the myriad debates that erupted at Tuesday’s oath-taking ceremony pointed to a more complex reality facing India.
“The election is not over yet, unlike previous years,” he said. “This battle continues and did not end with the declaration of results.”
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
