Maharashtra minister's statement absurd, says Owaisi

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi has termed as "unlawful" and "absurd" the statement of Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse comparing his party to the Hindu right-wing Sanatan Sanstha.

The MIM leader said that Khadse had soft corner for Sanatan Sanstha, one of whose members has been arrested in the case of the murder of senior Communist leader Govind Pansare, as it is a Hindutva organisation.

"It seems the minister is hypnotized by the teachings of Sanatan Sanstha," the Hyderabad MP told reporters here on Tuesday.

Khadse, who is also a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, had said on Monday that if organisations could be banned without evidence, then AIMIM would have to be banned as well. He was replying to a question whether Mahrashtra will ban the Sanatan Sanstha.

Sanatan Sanstha says that India should become a Hindu nation by 2023, does not believe in Indian constitution and endorses caste system, said Owaisi. "Unlike Sanatan Sanstha, MIM believes in the constitution," he added.

"It is unfortunate that when a cabinet minister holds this kind of obnoxious view, then all of us should be rest assured that justice will never be done to either (Narendra) Dabholkar or (Govind) Pansare. The person who alleged to have killed and has been arrested, will be let off very soon because this kind of statement will have adverse impact on investigative agencies," he said.