Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq on Tuesday stirred the hornet's nest by saying that "Vande Mataram was against Islam".

After taking the oath as Lok Sabha MP, Shafiqur Rahman Barq said, "Jahan tak Vande Mataram ka taaluq hai, it is against Islam we cannot follow it [As far as Vande Mataram is concerned, it is against Islam we cannot follow it]."

His statement met with chants of "Vande Mataram" and "Jai Shree Ram" by several leaders in the Parliament.

#WATCH: Slogans of Vande Mataram raised in Lok Sabha after Samajwadi Party's MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq says, "Jahan tak Vande Mataram ka taaluq hai, it is against Islam we cannot follow it" after concluding his oath. pic.twitter.com/8Sugg8u8ah ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2019

On being asked if there was any problem in saying "Vande Mataram", Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said that he considers Earth as his mother. "Main keh raha hun dharti maa meri hai, dharti maa se bada kaun hai? Dharti maa se koi bada ho toh bathao [I am saying Earth is my mother. Who is bigger than Mother Earth. Tell me if anyone is bigger than Mother Earth]," Akhilesh Yadav told reporters in Uttar Pradesh. Vande Mataram literally translates to "I bow to mother" and was used as slogan against British colonial rule in India during Independence struggle.

Earlier in the day, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi was also greeted with the slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram' when he was called to take oath as a Lok Sabha MP.

Asaduddin Owaisi immediately gave it back and said, "Jai Bheem, Jai Meem, Takbeer Allahu Akbar, Jai Hind."

Shafiqur Rahman Barq had earlier courted a controversy in 2013 as he walked out of Parliament at the time of "Vande Mataram". He had faced criticism from all quarters.

Shafiqur Rahman Barq was elected to Lok Sabha from Sambhal constituency in Uttar Pradesh after defeating Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Parmeshwar Lal Saini with a margin of about 2 lakh votes in the recently concluded general elections.

(With inputs from agencies)