Two All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) corporators were suspended from the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) after they refused to stand up when the “Vande Mataram” was being recited, raised slogans and clashed with other corporators.
Amid noisy scenes which saw the saffron alliance corporators clash with the AIMIM corporators, AMC Mayor Bhagwandas Ghadamode pf the BJP adjourned the general meeting on two occasions and suspended Sayyed Mateen and Shaikh Jaffar, both corporators of the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM for a day.
During the ruckus that the AMC general meeting witnessed, the saffron alliance corporators and AIAIM corporators clashed, they wrreched microphones and damaged fans and furniture in the House.
Trouble broke out soon after the general meeting began with the recitation of “Vande Mataram”. When the national song was recited, the two AIMIM chose to remain seated — a conduct was vehemently objected to by the Sena and BJP corporators in the House.
In the ensuing pandemonium, the Mayor adjourned the House for ten minutes. The situation aggravated when the House reassembled after adjournment.
The Sena-BJP rushed towards the two AIMIM corporators who remained seated and shouted slogans like “Is desh me rehna hoga toh Vande Mataram bolna padega (you would have to say Vande Mataram if you want to live in this country)...” and “Bharat mata ki jai”.
With let up in the situation, the Mayor suspended AIMIM corporators Mateen and Jaffar for a day and adjourned the House for the day.
With 25 corporators, the AIMIM is the principal Opposition party in the AMC. In the 113-member House, Shiv Sena has a strength of 29 corporators, followed by AIMIM 25, BJP 22, Congress 8, NCP 3 and Independents-others 24.
It may be recalled that on July 28, the BJP MlAs had clashed with two Muslim MlAs over the recitation of “Vande Mataram”.
later on August 10, the Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) decided to make the singing of “Vande Mataram” compulsory for two days in a week in all civic and aided schools across the metropolis. The Sena and BJP are ruling the AMC as an alliance.
Saturday’s as well the earlier two incidents are an off-shoot of the Madras High Court’s recent order making singing of “Vande Mataram” compulsory in schools.