AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi concluded his oath-taking as a member of the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (June 25) with the phrase “Jai Palestine.”
Owaisi secured his fifth consecutive victory from Hyderabad in Telangana by defeating BJP’s Madhavi Latha Kompella with a margin of 3,38,087 votes in the recent parliamentary elections.
During the oath ceremony in the 18th Session of the Lok Sabha, he ended his oath with “Jai Bhim, Jai Meem, Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine.”
On his official X handle, Owaisi posted, “Sworn in as a member of Lok Sabha for the fifth time. Inshallah, I will continue to raise issues of India’s marginalised with sincerity.”
Owaisi chants “Jai Palestine” during his oath-taking aa MP but forgets to chant Jai Hind pic.twitter.com/UU7SBIXErE
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) June 25, 2024
In a conversation with ANI, Owaisi remarked, “Everyone is saying a lot of things… I just said ‘Jai Bhim, Jai Meem, Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine’… How is it against [the Constitution]? Show me the provision.”
When asked about his inclusion of ‘Jai Palestine,’ Owaisi explained, “The people there are destitute. Mahatma Gandhi has said so many things regarding Palestine, and one can go and read.”
Following Owaisi’s pro-Palestine slogan in Parliament, BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje filed a complaint against him. In a written complaint to the Speaker and the Home Minister, Karandlaje requested that Owaisi’s speech be expunged from the parliamentary record and that he retake his oath without the controversial slogan.
Previously, Owaisi emphasised that the situation in Palestine concerns not just Muslims but humanity at large. He also referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “the devil.”
Notably, Owaisi has previously refused to chant “Vande Mataram,” claiming Muslims were being attacked for not saying “Vande Mataram” and “Jai Shri Ram.” His brother, AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, also opposed a Telangana government circular in 2019 mandating the singing of “Vande Mataram” in schools.
In 2019, Owaisi ended his oath as a member of Parliament with “Jai Bhim, Allah-o-Akbar, and Jai Hind.” In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, he defeated BJP candidate Madhavi Latha in Hyderabad by 3.3 lakh votes.
Amid the controversy over his remarks, Owaisi defended himself, stating there is no constitutional clause preventing him from saying “Jai Palestine.” He challenged critics to show him the constitutional provision he violated and urged them to consider Mahatma Gandhi’s statements on Palestine.
