Owaisi Sparks Controversy with “Jai Palestine” Slogan During Lok Sabha Oath
All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi sparked controversy on Tuesday during his oath-taking for the 18th Lok Sabha by ending with the slogan “Jai Palestine.” Owaisi, who was re-elected as the MP from Hyderabad, took his oath in Urdu and concluded with the slogans “Jai Bheem, Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine.” This unexpected inclusion of “Jai Palestine” led to immediate objections from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs, including Shobha Karandlaje. Radha Mohan Singh, who was presiding over the ceremony, announced that the slogan would be expunged from the official records, but BJP MPs continued to protest briefly.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy later criticized Owaisi’s choice of slogan, calling it “absolutely wrong” and against the rules of the House. Reddy remarked, “He does not say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ while living in India… People should understand that he does unconstitutional work while living in the country.”
In defense, Owaisi questioned the objections, stating, “Other members are also saying different things… I said ‘Jai Bheem, Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine’. How is it wrong? Tell me the provision of the Constitution [that I violated]. You should also listen to what others said. I said what I had to. Read what Mahatma Gandhi had said about Palestine.”
Owaisi, a prominent voice for Muslims in India, won his seat by a large margin of over 3.38 lakh votes against his BJP rival Madhavi Latha. Despite criticism that AIMIM is the “B team of BJP,” Owaisi has been actively trying to expand his party’s influence across India, though with limited success. Known for his strong opposition to BJP and RSS, Owaisi has been outspoken against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), and National Population Register (NPR).
