Chaos erupted in the Lok Sabha when BJP MP from Bareilly, Chhatra Pal Singh Gangwar, concluded his oath with 'Jai Hindu Rashtra.' This statement seemed to be a retaliatory response to AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi's earlier 'Jai Palestine' remark.
Members of the INDIA bloc expressed strong opposition to the 'Jai Hindu Rashtra' declaration made by the BJP MP from Bareilly, asserting that such a statement contradicts the fundamental principles enshrined in the Constitution of India.
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi had hailed Palestine after taking oath as Lok Sabha member, triggering an uproar from the treasury benches that led to the Chair striking it off record.
Owaisi, who has been elected from the Hyderabad seat for his fifth term, took oath in Urdu.
He also recited a prayer before taking oath.
After his oath, he hailed his state Telangana, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, apart from raising the AIMIM's slogan for Muslims.
Talking to reporters outside Parliament, Owaisi asserted he said "Jai Palestine".
"Other members are also saying different things...I said 'Jai Bheem, Jai Meem, Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine'. How is it wrong? Tell me the provision of Constitution? You should also listen to what others said. I said what I had to. Read what Mahatma Gandhi had said about Palestine." Asked why he mentioned Palestine, he said, "They are oppressed people".
On Owaisi's words during his oath in the Parliament, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said to ANI, "We do not have any enmity with Palestine or any other country. While taking the oath is it proper for any member to raise the slogan praising another country...We will have to check the rules if it is appropriate..."
Meanwhile, BJP MP from Ghaziabad, Atul Garg, concluded his oath with 'Narendra Modi Zindabad,' which sparked opposition from the INDIA bloc. In response, MP Atul Garg returned to the podium and exclaimed 'Dr. Hedgewar Zindabad,' referring to Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS.