HYDERABAD: For the Owaisi brothers, it’s them and TRS against the world. Addressing several public meetings on Monday, the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Chandrayangutta candidate Akbaruddin Owaisi lashed out at Congress, TDP and the BJP. First attack was on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saying reservations for Muslims was “unconstitutional” and could “never happen.”
“Modi has a degree in entire political science. I only have a koncham (small) law degree from London. However, despite his big brain, he has not read the Constitution and what it says,” Asaduddin Owaisi mocked. “Modi saab, please read Article 15 and 16 of the Constitution. It prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. Still, your government gave reservations for Marathas in Maharashtra,” Owaisi pointed out. “We, on the other hand, are not asking for reservation based on religion. It is based on various commissions’ reports that say Muslims are socially and economically backward.”
Akbaruddin, meanwhile, attacked Rahul Gandhi for terming AIMIM as the C-team of BJP. “I still say that in the 70 years of the country’s Independence, Congress were the A-team of RSS for 60 years. After BJP came into power, Congress slid back to being their B-team. I am sure if you tear their clothes now, you can see that they are wearing khakis chaddis inside,” Akbaruddin added, referring to the old RSS uniform.
Asaduddin had a more sentimental response to Congress allegations that “Owaisi made secret deals” with BJP ahead of elections. He recounted an incident from September 22, 1999. “The second phase of polling for Andhra Pradesh was going on... Violence broke out at a Ganesh procession near Sharan Hotel and people were being beaten up,” recalled Owaisi.
“I went there to see the people in need of help and the Task Force Members stopped me. I agreed to be arrested but still they beat me up with their fibre lathis. I was beaten black and blue and had to get 12 stitches on my head. When I was admitted to Owaisi Hospital, a senior Congress leader came to see my father Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi,” Owaisi said.
“That Congress leader said: Do you know why your son was beaten up? It’s because Chandrababu Naidu got to know that he was going to Guntur to rally in favour of Congress. “Gandhi, we were going for your party. And you claim that we made deals?,” he asked.