Gandhinagar, Sep 10 (PTI) The ruling BJP in Gujarat on Thursday sought action against Congress MLA Imran Khedawala for not standing throughout the singing of Vande Mataram in the Legislative Assembly, and asked the Speaker to refer the matter to the Privilege or Ethics Committee.
The Congress distanced itself from Khedawala’s act, saying that it did not reflect the party’s stand, while requesting the Speaker to give him a hearing before taking any decision.
Raising a point of order on the second day of the assembly’s monsoon session here, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi termed Khedawala’s act a serious breach of the dignity and discipline of the House.
“By deliberately remaining seated, the Congress MLA has committed the act of opposing Vande Mataram right at the beginning of our Legislative Assembly session,” Sanghavi said while addressing Speaker Shankar Chaudhary.
The row erupted on Wednesday, the first day of the three-day session, when Khedawala, who represents Jamalpur-Khadia seat in Ahmedabad and is the lone Muslim MLA in the Gujarat Assembly, stood up when the initial stanzas of Vande Mataram were sung but sat down during the remaining rendition.
The BJP had on Wednesday demanded an apology from Khedawala, with minister Pravin Mali alleging that he had disrespected the national song.
Khedawala later defended his action, saying he stood when the portion of Vande Mataram that was traditionally sung was being rendered but sat down for the later stanzas.
“Bharatiya Janata Party currently has no real issues. They are only bringing up Vande Mataram to stir up a controversy,” Khedawala said, adding that he followed the ideology of Congress and had done what he felt was right.
Raising the issue in the House on Thursday, Sanghavi said Khedawala’s statement to the media showed that his action was deliberate and he “did exactly what he had planned to do”.
“This is not merely a question of a single member’s personal behaviour,” he said, adding that the Assembly was a major democratic institution and young people and citizens across the state were watching its proceedings.
He also alleged that Khedawala was acting as a “pawn” and claimed that the Congress had discussed the issue at a core committee meeting before the session.
The Speaker should examine the video recording of the incident and House proceedings, and Khedawala’s conduct should be seen “in the context of the rules of the house, parliamentary traditions, and the discipline of the house”, he said.
“This behavior clearly appears to be a breach of the rules of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, parliamentary discipline, dignity, or special privileges,” Sanghavi said, and urged the Speaker to refer the matter to the Privilege Committee or Ethics Committee.
Sanghavi also said political differences were natural in a democracy but “respect for the nation and national symbols must remain above partisan politics”.
Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rushikesh Patel backed the demand for action, saying the incident had affected the dignity of the House and democratic traditions.
He said Vande Mataram had been a source of inspiration during India’s freedom struggle and referred to the Centre’s directions regarding the national song and national anthem.
State Congress president Amit Chavda said Khedawala’s action should not be seen as reflecting the Congress’s stand.
Other Congress MLAs stood respectfully from beginning to end, while Khedawala followed the long-standing practice of standing for the first two stanzas, he said.
“We will seek an explanation from him regarding his action,” Chavda said.
He also rejected Sanghavi’s allegation that Khedawala’s action was in accordance with a pre-planned Congress strategy, saying no such decision had been taken.
Congress had always respected the nation, the national anthem and established traditions, Chavda said, and requested the Speaker to issue a notice to Khedawala and hear his explanation before taking disciplinary action.
Senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar condemned the incident but said it was Khedawala’s individual decision, not of the party.
He urged the House not to politicise the issue and suggested that Khedawala could be called before the Speaker, reprimanded or asked to submit a written apology rather than face extreme punishment.
“It is wrong to link Imranbhai’s mistake to the Congress party. His mistake is not the Congress party’s decision. Respecting the nation is in our DNA and blood….,” Parmar said.
Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani also expressed regret over the incident and said it would not be repeated.
Speaker Chaudhary said the issue was serious and disrespecting national symbols was unacceptable. But the matter involved special privileges of MLAs inside the House and required detailed examination, he said.
“Considering all these factors, I must conduct a detailed study of this incident. After a thorough review, I will give my ruling,” Chaudhary said. PTI PJT PD KRK
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