Akbaruddin Owaisi returned homefrom London today amid the row over his "hate speech" andswiftly sought four days time from the police to appear beforeit even as the BJP mounted a fresh offensive against AndhraPradesh government accusing it of going soft on the MIM MLA.
Owaisi, who was asked to appear before Nirmal policetoday, landed in the city from London, where he was undergoingtreatment for an undisclosed disease, and promptly petitionedthe police to grant him four days time.
The police, according to a senior officer, is yet totake a call on whether to allow his plea.
Opposition BJP, which has been demanding strict actionagainst Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen floor leader in thestate assembly, attacked the Congress government for going"soft" on him, owing to political reasons.
"Why this delay in taking action. Why this lenientattitude when there is a universal condemnation of his (MIMMLA's) highly objectionable comments. It is the Congress whichhelped MIM to grow. They still share power in HyderabadCorporation. Is this the reason why they are soft?," seniorBJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said addressing reporters.
MIM had recently withdrawn support to Congress both atthe Centre and in Andhra Pradesh but both parties continue toshare power in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation(GHMC).
The Congress government has failed to take action againstthe MIM leaders promptly though they violated the law on manyoccasions in the past, Naidu alleged and said, "Congress willhave to answer for its inaction."
"Every word said by him (Owaisi) at public meetings inAdilabad and Nizamabad districts was highly provocative andobjectionable," Naidu said, adding the Congress governmentlacked courage to act against the MIM leader.
Naidu said Owaisi's "inflammatory" speech was aimed at strengthening the party elsewhere in AP and also in some partsof erstwhile Nizam state.
Notices were issued to Owaisi on January 4 directing himto appear before investigating officers of Nirmal (Rural)police in Adilabad district today and before the Nizambad IITown police tomorrow. Another notice was served on Owaisi bythe Osmania University Police directing him to appear beforethem on January 10.
Two FIRs were registered suo moto in Adilabad andNizamabad districts, while a third case was filed against theMLA by Osmania University Police following a court directiveafter he allegedly used "inflammatory and derogatory" languageagainst a particular community at public functions last month.
Owaisi has been booked under IPC sections 153A (promotingenmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race,place of birth, language etc. and doing acts prejudicial tomaintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate and maliciousacts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class byinsulting its religion or religious beliefs).
He has also been booked under IPC section 121 (waging orattempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, againstthe Government of India).