Attacks on Muslim minorities increased after NDA came to power

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi today alleged that attacks on Muslim minorities have increased since the NDA government came to power at the Centre.

He said though the Prime Minister was talking about 'sab ka saath, sab ka vikas', Muslims in India were being killed in the name of the cow.

He referred to the lynching of Akbar Khan at Alwar in Rajasthan by cow vigilantes and said that after he was killed, a BJP MLA had branded him as a cow smuggler and said this was what was going to happen.

"It means death is justified.... what the Prime Minister of India says... 'sab ka saath, sab ka vikas'.

"Prime Minister, we are killed in the name of the cow. Since you became Prime Minister, India's Muslims are being killed in the name of the cow.

Since you became Prime Minister, false allegations are being levelled against us that we smuggle cows," he said, addressing a public meeting here.

"Those who are attacking us in the name of cow, you are not killing us, but you are weakening India," he said.

Quoting Khan's family members, Owaisi said the deceased man purchased a cow to make a living by selling milk.

The Prime Minister, who tweeted on the bus mishap in Maharashtra, was silent on Khan's death, he said.

"We want to ask BJP and the Prime Minister... you tell us whether there is value for the life of a Muslim in India or a cow," he said.

The Prime Minister should state what the government's programme of action was to check such incidents, he said.

Owaisi said the Right to Life is a right given in the Constitution.

He said Indian Muslims should learn a lesson from the Jats in Haryana, Marathas, Patels and Gujjars in Rajasthan and Dalits (for the government planning to make a law on the issue of prevention of atrocities against SCs and STs act) and get united to force the government accept their concerns.

Referring to the reported incident of a man's beard being shaved off at Gurugram, he said the youth should not fear such incidents. It was the constitutional right of Muslims to grow a beard, he said.

"Those indulging in tyranny and injustice, we will not stop keeping a beard if it is shaved off. We will keep even a long beard....," he said.

Referring to criticism against him as 'neo-Jinnah', Owaisi recalled that he was appreciated by many for taking on some Pakistan representatives when they criticized India during a debate on a visit to the neighbouring country.

"I say, how long you will judge us on the measure of Pakistan?" he asked.

Flaying BJP president Amit Shah for his comments on the NRC issue, Owaisi demanded to know how the head of the ruling party could say that the 40 lakh people left out in the list in Assam are infiltrators.

"If infiltrators, get it done in Tripura also. See how many come out.Get it done in Jammu. Heard that Tripura's Chief Minister was born in (19) 71. Get NRC done," he said.

Owaisi alleged that BJP has failed on all fronts of governance and it appears it wanted to fight the next parliamentary election by creating an atmosphere of fear.

He also flayed Congress president Rahul Gandhi for hugging Modi during the recent debate in Parliament on the no-confidence motion.

Congress was not sincere in its commitment towards the welfare of Muslims, he alleged.