Chunav Manch Gujarat 2022: Ahead of the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his Gujarat 2002 remarks.
Speaking at India TV's Chunav Manch on Saturday, Owaisi condemned Shah's remarks, alleging the minister is "justifying state violence."
The AIMIM leader's remarks were in response to Shah's statements where he said anti-social elements earlier indulged in violence in Gujarat as the Congress supported them, but after the perpetrators were "taught a lesson" in 2002, they stopped such activities the BJP established "permanent peace" in the state.
“The whole world knows the 2002 riots as genocide. After the Godhra incident, thousands of people were killed in the country. Many Muslim women were raped. Many people were killed, including Hindus. And, if the Home Minister is talking like this, then he is justifying state violence," Owaisi added.
Owaisi questions Shah's claims
Speaking further, he asked why all the convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano rape case have been released from jail if Shah claims to have taught lessons to criminals?
"The convicts in the Naroda Patiya massacre get out on bail then begs to vote for Modi and you call it teaching a lesson," he remarked. Owaisi also accused the BJP of giving tickets to a rapist of Bilkis Bano. He also called the BJP as "bada recharge" and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as "chhota recharge."
Owaisi slams AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal
The AIMIM leader also slammed Kejriwal saying he was the one who defamed Tablighi Jamaat in the first wave of COVID, calling them "superspreaders.
" Kejriwal's lies about Tablighi Jamaat were proven in the High Court. He is the same person who does not open his mouth on the issue of Bilkis Bano... does not open his mouth on the issue of the Uniform Civil Code... Modi ji topi nahi pehente aur Kejriwal topi pehna dete hain (Modi ji doesn't wear a cap and Kejriwal makes one wear a cap)," he claimed.
Owaisi on Shraddha murder case
Speaking on the famous Shraddha Walkar murder case, Owaisi said the accused "Aftab Poonawala is not a human, he's a monster." He also brushed it off that it was a matter of 'love jihad.'
"What is love jihad? Amit Shah's ministry replied in Parliament that love jihad does not happen. In Islam, you can't even touch a woman apart from your wife. Whatever Aftab did is condemnable, he is a monster, not a human. But it is wrong to link such incidents to religion," Owaisi mentioned.
It should be noted here that elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases- on December 1 and 5- and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.
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