Archive · 24 Aug 2026
UP Speaker Faces Criticism After Leaving During National Anthem
Satish Mahana, the Speaker of Uttar Pradesh’s legislative assembly, attended an education event in Unnao.
Police first gave him a guard of honour.
Soon afterward, the national anthem began playing.
A video appears to show Mahana stepping down from the dais and walking toward his vehicle while the anthem continued.
Opposition politicians said he should have stayed still until the anthem ended.
They demanded an explanation or apology.
Mahana said the anthem was being played somewhere else in the venue, not where he had received the guard of honour.
A BJP spokesperson said Mahana may not have noticed the anthem and that the incident was probably not deliberate.
The controversy also took place during a wider dispute between the BJP and Congress over Vande Mataram.
A purported video appears to show Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana leaving a dais while the national anthem played in Unnao.
Mahana had received a police guard of honour before the anthem began at a Principals’ Council event.
Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders called the conduct disrespectful, sought an explanation or apology, and accused the BJP of double standards.
Mahana said the anthem was not played at the location where he received the guard of honour and questioned whether people must stop while passing through a venue.
BJP spokesperson Harish Chandra Srivastava described the episode as a possible unintentional lapse that was being blown out of proportion.
- Who
- Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana; Congress, Samajwadi Party and BJP representatives also commented.
- What
- Mahana was criticized after a purported video appeared to show him leaving during the national anthem.
- When
- Saturday, August 23; the reports do not consistently specify the event year.
- Where
- SVM Inter College in Puran Nagar, Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, during a Principals’ Council convention and seminar.
- Why
- Opposition leaders viewed his departure as disrespectful, while Mahana said the anthem was not played at the guard-of-honour location.
Opposition Critics’ View
Mahana and BJP’s Response
Leaving during the anthem
Opposition Critics’ View
Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders said Mahana walked away while Jana Gana Mana was playing, calling the conduct disrespectful and seeking an apology or explanation.
Mahana and BJP’s Response
Mahana said the anthem was being played at another location within the venue. BJP spokesperson Harish Chandra Srivastava said Mahana may not have noticed it and that the episode could have been an unintentional lapse.
Protocol and responsibility
Opposition Critics’ View
Critics questioned whether Mahana should have remained at the dais after accepting the guard of honour and stood through the anthem, particularly because he holds a senior constitutional position.
Mahana and BJP’s Response
Mahana said the national anthem is not played at the location where a visiting dignitary receives a guard of honour, according to the protocol he cited. He questioned whether people must stop and stand at attention while merely passing through a venue.
Political standards
Opposition Critics’ View
Opposition leaders said the BJP frequently targets other parties over nationalism but applies different standards to its own leaders, and alleged that nationalism-related controversies are used for political purposes.
Mahana and BJP’s Response
The BJP rejected the criticism as excessive, saying such mistakes can happen and that the incident was being unnecessarily given importance.
- Speaker
- Satish Mahana, Speaker of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly
- Event
- Provincial convention and seminar of the Principals’ Council
- Venue
- SVM Inter College, Puran Nagar, Unnao
- Sequence
- Police gave Mahana a guard of honour, after which the national anthem began
- Video account
- The purported video shows Mahana standing still briefly, stepping down from the dais and walking toward his vehicle
- Opposition response
- Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders described the conduct as disrespectful and demanded an explanation or apology
- Mahana’s response
- He said the anthem was not played where he received the guard of honour and questioned whether everyone must stop while passing through a venue
- BJP response
- Spokesperson Harish Chandra Srivastava said the incident may have been an unnoticed mistake rather than a deliberate act
Sources
UP assembly Speaker draws ire for leaving dais during national anthem
‘Couldn’t he wait 52 seconds?’: UP Speaker Satish Mahana under fire after video shows him walking away during national anthem
UP Speaker draws ire for leaving dais during national anthem
