Abdulhafiz Lakhani for BeyondHeadlines
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi – the man to watch in new Lok Sabha. There are only 23 Muslims MPs in the house. Perhaps this fire brand Muslim MP’s heart is bleeding for Gujarati Muslims who faced the onslaught in 2002 riots.
Gujarati Muslim leaders like Sonia Gandhi’s political adviser Ahmed Patel, All India Minorities Congress Cell Chief Khurshid Syed, Gujarat based Congress MLAs – Gyasuddin Shaikh, Qadir Pirzada and some others never spoke from heart for 2002 riots and injustice to Gujarati Muslims.
Even stalwarts like Badruddin Ajmal, Ghulam Vastanvi, Maulana Arshad Madani and Mehmood Madani always remained waisted with wolf clothes.
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) supremo Asaduddin Owaisi tore into Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Gujarat riots and Aksharham terror attack, and asked if he would apologies to innocent Muslims who languished in jail for years for no fault of theirs.
“Will the Prime Minister, who was then the Home Minister of Gujarat, apologise to the innocent Muslims who were wrongly arrested in Akshardham terror case and spent more than 11 years in jail for no faults of theirs”, Owaisi said while participating in the debate on President’s address to the joint parliamentary session.
In a high pitch seven and half minute speech, Asaduddin Owaisi sought justice for the innocent victims who were killed in police encounters and Gujarat riots.
“I stand before you as the son of Ehsan Jafri. I stand before you as the brother of Ishrat Jahan. I stand before you as the uncle of Sadiq. I stand before you as the voice of countless poor and voiceless people affected by Gujarat genocide and I want justice to be done to those poor souls”, Owaisi said even as MPs treasury benches tried to shout him down.
Referring to Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptullah’s remarks made a day after the government formation, Owaisi asked Prime Minister Modi to explain to the house the stand of his government vis-à-vis minorities.
“You talk about making the minorities equal partner in this country. How? Your own minister on the very first day of the government formation says Muslims are not minorities. Am I supposed to believe that the minority ministry has been created for 80,000 Parsis only? That cannot be the case”, he said.
Stating that Article 29 & 30 of the constitution has clearly defined linguistic and religious minorities and have given them rights, Owaisi asked Modi to explain to the house his stand over Sikhs and Buddhists who have also been defined as minorities.
Criticizing Ram Vilas Paswan who while participating in the debate said people should stop from harping about Godhra riots, Owaisi said, “Jisme insaniyat hai woh in waqeat ko yaad rakhe ga… Jisme insaniyat hai woh in katilon ko kabhi maaf nahi karega.”
He also said that the way things appear today the day was not far when Nathuram Godse, the man who had assassinated Mahatma Gandhi would be awarded ‘Veer Chakra’.
“There are four incidents which shook the foundation of this country. Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, murder and Genocide of Sikhs and Dalits, destruction of Babri Masjid and 2002 Gujarat riots.
“If that is the case, then the day is not far when this august house will give, if not Bharat Ratna, Veer Chakra to Nathuram Godse”, he said in the parliament.
Commenting on BJP’s landslide victory in the 2014 General Election, Owaisi said, “I want to congratulate the honourable prime minister for breaking the myth of Muslim vote bank.”
But at the same time he added, “But there is a Hindu vote bank which people don’t want to talk about. What you have done in process. You consolidated the Hindu votes in your favour. I congratulate you for this”, he said.
Protesting BJP members tried to shout down but unperturbed by vociferously protest, Owaisi noted there are very few Muslim representatives from BJP in the Lok Sabha.
“Where is the pluralism and diversity?” he asked and demanded that the Prime Minister make it clear what he proposed to do for the minorities.
Owaisi also mentioned the issue of murder of a young techie in Pune, saying, “I want justice to be done to the poor souls.”
(The author is Gujarat chapter General Secetary of All India Milli Council.)
