Congress MLA Imran Khedawala, the only Muslim member of the 182-seat Gujarat Assembly, refused to stand for the newly added lines of Vande Mataram during the opening of the Assembly’s three-day monsoon session in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.
Khedawala, who represents the Jamalpur Khadia constituency, said he respects the national song but does not agree with the additional portion.
“I have great respect for the national song and for the portion that has been sung by our great leaders, from Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rabindranath Tagore, and B R Ambedkar,” he told Deccan Herald.
“If they never objected to that paragraph, who is the BJP to tell me anything?” he said.
Khedawala Defends His Stand
Khedawala said he stood during the traditional portion of the song but returned to his seat when the additional lines were sung.
“The BJP is not bigger than Gandhi or Patel. Our leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi, have made it clear. This is also my personal stand: I will not sing the additional paragraph,” he said.
BJP Accuses MLA of Disrespect
Gujarat Minister of State for Forest, Environment and Climate Change Pravin Mali criticised Khedawala and Congress for allegedly disrespecting a long standing Assembly tradition.
“There has been a tradition in the Assembly for years that its sessions start with Vande Mataram. Congress MLA Imran Khedawala stood but sat down immediately, which is an insult to the national song,” Mali said.
The BJP also accused Khedawala of disrespecting Vande Mataram and said the additional portion had been approved by Parliament through the required procedure.
Only Muslim MLA in Gujarat Assembly
Khedawala has been the Gujarat Assembly’s only Muslim MLA since the 2022 Assembly elections. Gujarat has a Muslim population of nearly 10 percent.
The number of Muslim MLAs in the state has declined over the years. There were two Muslim MLAs in the 2012 Assembly and three in 2017, all elected from Congress.
The BJP, which has governed Gujarat for more than three decades, has not fielded a Muslim candidate in Assembly elections during this period.
