Owaisi Against Linking National Anthem to Patriotism 

Ever since the Supreme Court made it mandatory for National Anthem to be played at the beginning of the movie in theatres across India, there have been numerous incidents of people being pulled up, harassed and assaulted for failing to stand up when the song was being played.

The Apex Court on Monday refused to modify its earlier ruling following complaints from scores of harassed citizens. However, it observed that failure to sing the anthem in a movie did not amount to anti-nationalism.

Reacting to this bit of news, the AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi opined that one's patriotism cannot be tested based on his gesture during the anthem in a theatre.

He said: "“Why one should show patriotism in the cinema hall? What Supreme Court has said is absolutely right and the observation of Justice D.Y. Chandrachud is correct. Standing during national anthem cannot be a test of someone’s patriotism. One can stand on official occasions like 15 August, 26 January, etc.”