Bandi Sanjay Slams AIMIM MLAs

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar has 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".

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"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.

PM Modi on Vande Mataram's Legacy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in December last year addressed the special discussion on 150 years of the National Song, Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha. He remarked that Vande Mataram, the mantra and the clarion call which energized and inspired the freedom movement of the nation, showing the path of sacrifice and penance, is being remembered and it is a great privilege for all in the House. PM Modi highlighted that it is a matter of pride that the nation is witnessing the historic occasion of 150 years of Vande Mataram.

Owaisi Accuses BJP, RSS of Pushing Theocratic Agenda

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of pushing India towards a "theocratic nation." "This should not be made a test of loyalty...The way the BJP and RSS were taking forward the nation, it would become a theocratic nation," he said in an interview with ANI last month.

"...Our Constitution begins with 'We the people', not with 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'...Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees the fundamental right to freedom of religion...Do they want to finish the national anthem?...What about my freedom of religion?...We don't need any certificate of loyalty," he added. (ANI)