After AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi hailed a conflict-hit West Asian region during his oath in the Lok Sabha, a BJP official claimed on Tuesday that the Hyderabad MP could be disqualified for “demonstrating adherence to a foreign State.” Owaisi, re-elected for a fifth term from Hyderabad, invoked Telangana and BR Ambedkar, but it was his “Jai Palestine” slogan, following his oath in Urdu, that sparked uproar among treasury benches.
Defending his actions, Owaisi told reporters there was nothing inappropriate in his statements. “Other members are also saying different things… How is it wrong? Tell me the provision of the Constitution? You should also listen to what others said. I said what I had to. Read what Mahatma Gandhi had said about Palestine,” he remarked.
When questioned about his mention of Palestine, Owaisi responded, “They are oppressed people.” Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that he had received complaints about the mention of Palestine and would review the rules concerning such remarks.
“We do not have any enmity with Palestine or any other country. The only issue is, while taking the oath, is it proper for any member to raise a slogan praising another country? We will have to check the rules. Some members have come to me and complained about the raising of the Palestine slogan at the end of the oath,” Rijiju said.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya highlighted Article 102 of the Constitution, which outlines the grounds for disqualification of a Member of Parliament. Malviya suggested that Owaisi’s remarks could fall under “demonstrating adherence to a foreign State,” which is a potential ground for disqualification.
Article 102 specifies that a person can be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of either House of Parliament if they:
(a) hold any office of profit under the Government of India or any State, except an office exempted by law;
(b) are of unsound mind as declared by a competent court;
(c) are an undischarged insolvent;
(d) are not a citizen of India, have voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign State, or acknowledge allegiance or adherence to a foreign State;
(e) are disqualified by or under any law made by Parliament.
The incident has stirred considerable debate regarding the appropriateness of members raising slogans related to foreign countries during their oaths and the possible constitutional implications.