All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul chief Asaduddin Owais has hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his clarification on the "infiltrator remark" questioning why did it take him so long to respond. Modi stirred a controversy after he made the statement last month referencing former PM Manmohan Singh's purported statement regarding the minority community's claim on the country's resources.
He also used iterations like "infiltrators" and "those who have more children" while addressing a poll rally in Rajasthan's Banswara.
The statement had drawn a widespread backlash from the opposition parties, to which the PM responded on Tuesday denying any religious bias.
Calling Modi's statement a "false clarification", Owaisi questioned why it took so long for the PM to respond on the issue.
"In his speech, Modi had called Muslims infiltrators and those with too many children. Now he is saying that he was not talking about Muslims, he never used the Hindu-Muslim angle," said the Hyderabad MP in a social media post on X.
"Why did it take so long to give this false clarification? Modi's political journey has been based solely on anti-Muslim politics. In this election, Modi and the BJP have spread countless lies and immense hatred against Muslims," he said.
The AIMIM chief made the scathing attack after PM Modi's interview with CNN News 18 where the Prime Minister said: "I am surprised who said that when it comes to having more children, the Muslim community is being referenced. Why discriminate against Muslims? Even in our poor families, the situation is the same. Their children are unable to get an education. Wherever there is poverty in any society, there are more children."
"I have neither mentioned Hindus nor Muslims. I said have the number of children who you can raise. Don't make the government take care of them," he remarked.