Owaisi reacts to Opposition meeting: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday (June 24) said that he did not know why his party was not invited for the opposition meeting which was held on June 23 in Patna at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s residence.
Owaisi also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remark in the United States in response to a question during the press conference that the minorities were not being discriminated against in India under his government.
Aurangabad Lok Sabha MP Imitiaz Jaleel said that the Owaisi-led party was more keen on defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party than any other party which attended the Patna meeting and added that no alliance of the parties can succeed against the ruling BJP if AIMIM is not included.
"The AIMIM is more keen to defeat the BJP than the parties, leaders and those who gathered to form an (anti-BJP) alliance (on June 23). Why are we ignored when it is known that a big chunk of people follow Asaduddin Owaisi in many states," Jaleel questioned.
Owaisi said that he was not aware of the reason why he was not called for the meeting. The leaders of over 15 political parties assembled in Patna, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sharad Pawar, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah, Akhilesh Yadav among others.
'Don't know why we were not called'
“I don't know why we were not called. The issue raised by Jaleel is serious. My question is should someone thirsty come to the water source or should water go to the thirsty?" he asked.
Alleging that the people from the Dalit, Muslim, Adivasi communities are being discriminated against under the BJP government at the Centre, Owaisi said that these things have to be thought about while formulating an agenda to oust the Narendra Modi government from power.
Expressing concern over the law and order situation in Maharashtra, the Telangana MP said the bureaucracy and administration must ensure law and order is not disturbed, adding that "political parties will come and go in power but law and order should remain".
He hit out at PM Modi over his US remark that there was no discrimination against minorities in India, and claimed that 300 churches were burnt in the ongoing violence in Manipur.
He cited the Citizenship Amendment Act, the stopping of the Maulana Azad scholarship and alleged violence by cow vigilantes as examples of discrimination and harassment of minorities under Modi rule.
"The biggest discrimination is that the BJP has 300 Lok Sabha MPs but none of them is Muslim. There is no Muslim minister in the Union government either," Owaisi said. He also said the arrangement for Haj pilgrims was very poor this year despite they having to pay more and a probe must be instituted into why this was the case.
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PM Modi in US responds to question on discrimination
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in response to a reporter's question during a joint statement at the White House said that India lives democracy and it is in the country’s veins, while also stressing that there is no question of discriminating on the basis of caste, creed or religion.
"Our constitution and our government have proved that democracy can deliver... there is no place for any discrimination on the basis of caste, creed or religion," he said.
"If there are no human values, human rights... then it’s not a democracy... when you live in a democracy, there is no doubt or chance of any discrimination...In India, everyone has access to all sorts of government schemes... everyone is benefited," he added.
The Prime Minister emphasised on his government’s motto of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ and said that the country walks ahead with it.
"We are a democracy... India & America both have democracy in our DNA. Democracy is in our spirit & we live it and it's written in our Constitution... So no question of discrimination on the grounds of caste, creed or religion arises. That is why, India believes in sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayaas and walks ahead with it..," PM Modi said.
(With PTI inputs)
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