Hyderabad: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leaders on Monday, March 16, walked out of the Telangana Assembly as the national song, Vande Mataram, began to be played.
A video of the incident was shared by Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who called it a “shameful act,” while accusing the party members of insulting the national song.
“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 wrote on X.
“Why is MIM allergic to Indian symbols? Their true colors are out for everyone to see,” Sanjay added.
The video shows ministers from various parties, including Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, standing as the Telangana state song, “Jaya Jaya He Telangana” played. However, when Vande Mataram started, the AIMIM leaders were seen leaving the Assembly in a group.
The move received widespread condemnation for disrespecting the national song.
Meanwhile, there has been no official response from the party regarding the walkout.
AIMIM leaders have previously raised objections to the singing of Vande Mataram in the Assembly, with Patna MLA Waris Pathan saying they are not obliged to sing it since it goes beyond the limits of the Constitution.
How the controversy erupted
On February 11, the Union government issued guidelines stating that all six stanzas of “Vande Mataram” should be played or sung at official events, played before the national anthem in certain functions, and people must stand when it is played.
This triggered opposition from several political parties and groups. Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress leadership of removing key stanzas in 1937 to appease the Muslim League, while the Congress countered that only the first two stanzas were adopted because the later ones contain religious imagery that could offend some communities.
