Irked by Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq’s controversial statement on Vande Mataram while taking oath of Lok Sabha, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists held a protest and burnt his effigy in Sambhal on Friday.
They demanded that the MP from Sambhal be sent to Pakistan.
BJYM district president Vishal Chauhan said the newly-elected MP was free to go to Pakistan and his organisation would be happy to arrange his visa and other formalities.
He also demanded that Barq be disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha for his anti- national statement.
On June 18, while taking oath of Lok Sabha, Barq said that he would not chant Vande Mataram as it was against Islam though he said Constitution zindabad even as the other members chanted Vande Mataram.
Due to this, his swearing-in had to be stopped for some time.
Earlier, during the United Progressive Alliance regime too, Barq had once walked out of Lok Sabha to protest against singing of Vande Mataram and his act was taken seriously by then speaker Meira Kumar.
Barq is a five-time MP and a former UP minister. In 2009, Barq was elected to the Lok Sabha on Bahujan Samaj Party ticket.