Naqvi slams Owaisi, says 'champions of secularism' kept minorities as 'tenants'

These 'champions of politics of secularism' have kept minorities' particularly the Muslims as tenant and not participants in the democracy, said Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi slamming AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for his alleged remark against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"These political bigwigs of secularism have always made the minorities in this country particularly Muslim to stay as the tenant and never as a participant. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made 130 crore people stakeholders in the development," said Naqvi here on Saturday.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said in Hyderabad that Muslim are not tenants in India and they cannot be denied the rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution. "We have to keep India prosperous, we will keep India prosperous. We (Muslims) are equal residents and not tenants. We are equal stakeholders here," he said on Friday.

He also said Muslims are free to follow their faith and visit mosques and should not be worried about the BJP's return to power.

"If Modi can visit a temple we can visit our mosques, if Modi can go sit in a cave, we Muslims can also proudly say our prayers in mosques. Securing more than 300 seats is not a huge thing, Because India has a living Constitution. The 300 seats (of the BJP) cannot take away our rights," said Owaisi.