BJP's lotus symbol is a religious symbol, IUML tells SC

The IUML has contended before the court that the lotus is a religious symbol. It has also been pointed out that parties like Shiv Sena, Hindu Mahasabha, Akali Dal, Islam Party Hind and Christian Democratic Front should also be made party to the petition."

New Delhi:The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) told the Supreme Court on Monday that Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) should be made a respondent in the petition seeking the barring of political parties with religious names and symbols as BJP's symbol is the lotus. Senior advocate Dushyant Dave appearing for IUML said that they have filed an application to include other parties, including BJP to be made respondents in the petition, as BJP's symbol lotus is a religious symbol.

The IUML has contended before the court that the lotus is a religious symbol. It has also been pointed out that parties like Shiv Sena, Hindu Mahasabha, Akali Dal, Islam Party Hind and Christian Democratic Front should also be made party to the petition. "According to Hinduism, within each human is the spirit of the sacred lotus. It represented eternity, purity, divinity and is widely used as a symbol of life fertility, ever-renewing youth. The lotus flower is used to describe feminine beauty, especially female eyes. For Buddhists, the lotus flower symbolises the most exalted state of the human head held high, pure and undefiled in the sun, feet rooted in the world of experience. Further, it is submitted that, God Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva and Lakshmi Mata are also associated with the lotus flower in Hinduism," submitted IUML.

It may be recalled that the petition was filed by Syed Wazeem Rizvi, the former chairman of the Shia Wakf Board of Uttar Pradesh, who converted to Hinduism in 2021 and changed his name to Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi, seeking to enforce the mandate of Section 29A, 123(3) and 123(3A) of the Representation of People's Act and direct the Election Commission of India to cancel the registration of names and symbols of those parties, which associate religion with it. When Rizvi was asked to name the organisations, he took the names of IUML and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

Senior advocate KK Venugopal appearing for All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) raised questions over the maintainability of the petition under article 32 as no fundamental rights are being violated. He said that in the last hearing, the top court had directed the petitioner to implead all other parties but only two, IUML and AIMIM have been impleaded.

Advocate Gaurav Bhatia appearing for the petitioner Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi (formerly known as Waseem Rizvi and UP Shia Wakf Board Chairman) argued that the plea only seeks that provisions of the Representation of People's Act be followed. The court told that a similar plea is pending before Delhi High Court. Hence, the court directed the such petition to be presented before it and adjourned the matter for hearing again after four weeks.