I don't want to break India, says Owaisi

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said he doesn't want to break the country but wants to strengthen it.

"I don't want to break the country, I want to strengthen it. I want to show Muslims are respected and first class citizens of the country," said Owaisi while reacting to union minister Najma Heptulla's allegation made during her visit to the Moulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) here on Sunday.

The Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad said the MANUU has become a propaganda centre for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Minority Affairs Minister Heptulah was at the central university to address a conference on education organised by Chancellor Zafar Sareshwala, a close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Owaisi's remark also came in the wake of reports that union Human Resource Development ministry ignored Azim Premji, Gulzar, Amitabh Bachchan and other prominent names to choose Sareshwala for the chancellor's post.

Speaking after giving away educational kits to students of a government-run Urdu medium school at the party headquarters Darusalam, Owaisi said he was fighting for rights and justice.

"I want to eradicate poverty among Muslims and for this I want to see the girls and boys are educated," he said.

Owaisi said since thed dropout rate was high among Muslims due to poverty, the government should not put a cap on number of scholarships.