Vande Mataram row heats up Gujarat Assembly; Sanghavi seeks action against Khedawala

Gandhinagar: Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Thursday raised a Point of Order in the Assembly seeking disciplinary action against Congress MLA Imran Khedawala over his conduct during the singing of Vande Mataram in the House.

The Assembly Speaker accepted Sanghavi’s Point of Order and said the matter would be examined before a decision is taken on whether to refer it to the Privileges Committee. The Speaker said disrespect towards national symbols cannot be tolerated and noted that the incident had also drawn queries from media representatives outside the state.

Sanghavi called for the official video and Assembly recording of the incident to be examined and said action should be taken under the rules of the House if any violation is established. He said Vande Mataram was not a BJP song and that respect for the nation and national symbols should remain above party politics. He also suggested that the matter could be referred to the Privileges or Ethics Committee if required.

Congress, however, opposed the demand. Leader of Opposition Amit Chavda said Congress members had participated in the singing of Vande Mataram and claimed that Khedawala had stood during the two stanzas before sitting down. He said Khedawala would provide an explanation and rejected Sanghavi’s allegation of a conspiracy.

The controversy over Vande Mataram came amid a broader confrontation between the ruling BJP and Congress during the second day of the Gujarat Assembly’s monsoon session.

Earlier, Congress MLAs and workers staged a protest over the state’s law-and-order situation and the implementation of prohibition. They alleged that illegal liquor continues to be sold openly despite the prohibition policy.

The Assembly proceedings began at noon on Thursday, with Question Hour scheduled from 12 pm to 1 pm. Questions related to the police, Home Department, industries, tourism, transport, tribal development, khadi and cottage industries, and health departments are being taken up.

Following Question Hour, four important amendment bills are scheduled to be introduced in the House. The proposed legislation includes provisions relating to the regularisation of old land transactions, relief for traders and exporters under GST, regulations concerning livestock feed, and the recruitment process in aided private schools. DeshGujarat