A day after he chanted 'Jai Palestine' while taking oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha, complaints have been filed against AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi. The Hyderabad MP had reacted to the controversies surrounding his 'Jai Palestine' chant, stating that he did not violate any provisions of the Constitution.
One of the complainants was senior advocate Hari Shankar Jain, who filed a complaint with the President seeking Owaisi's disqualification as an MP.
A post on X by advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, son of advocate Hari Shankar Jain, read: "A complaint has been filed before the President of India against Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi in terms of article 102 and 103 of the constitution of India by Mr. Hari Shankar Jain seeking his disqualification as member of parliament."
According to Article 102 of the Constitution, an MP can be disqualified if he has "voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign State, or is under any acknowledgement of allegiance or adherence to a foreign State. "
Another complaint was filed by advocate Vineet Jindal, who on X confirmed he had filed a complaint against Owaisi. Jindal too filed a complaint under Article 103 of the Constitution of India.
Supreme Court lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava too brought to the President's attention the issue. His post on X read: I have requested The President to forthwith disqualify Asaduddin Owaisi under Art. 102 (1) (d), for his shameful act of raising 'Jai Palestine' in the Parliament of India. "It is pertinent to mention here that this is not the first time when Mr. Owaisi has displayed his unequivocal loyalty, support and allegiance to the said foreign country 'Palestine'. Rather, it is a matter of record that Mr. Owaisi has been exhibiting his consistent support, allegiance and adherence to the said foreign state for last many years...", his letter read.
However, Owaisi justified his slogan after taking oath stating there was nothing wrong with him saying "Jai Bheem, Jai Meem, Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine".
Owaisi told reporters, "Other members are also saying different things... How is it wrong? Tell me the provision of the Constitution? You should also listen to what others said. I said what I had to. Read what Mahatma Gandhi had said about Palestine".
On why he mentioned Palestine, he said, "They are oppressed people."
Owaisi, who has been elected from the Hyderabad seat for his fifth term, took oath in Urdu. He also recited a prayer before taking the oath.
