'Always Indecent': BJP Slams Owaisi As AIMIM Chief Greets Beef Shop Owner Saying 'Kaat Te Raho'

Reacting to the video and Asaduddin Owaisi’s remarks, Nirmala Sitharaman said his political statements are consistently “indecent”.

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday took a dig at All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi after a video showing him purportedly praising a beef shop owner went viral on the social media.

The video captured Owaisi, during an election rally in Hyderabad, stopping by a beef shop to greet the owner and express appreciation.

In the clip, Owaisi could be heard saying, “Rehan beef shop zindabad. Khairiyat hai bhai? Salaam alaikum. Kaatte raho (Long live Rehan beef shop. Everything well? Greetings to you. Keep butchering).”

Reacting to the video and Owaisi’s remarks, Sitharaman said his political statements are consistently “indecent”.

“His political statements are always indecent. I am not surprised that he passed such statements. His younger brother (Akbaruddin Owaisi) is an MLA. He is also an expert in giving such extreme statements, therefore I am not surprised,” Sitharaman said.

Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, a senior BJP leader and vice president of the party’s Andhra Pradesh unit, also criticised Owaisi, accusing him of “shamelessly employing incendiary language to provoke and insult Hindu sentiments.”

“A dangerous pattern of divisive rhetoric emerges from @asadowaisi, as he shamelessly uses inflammatory language to provoke and offend Hindu sentiments. His recent campaign antics, including endorsing a beef shop with 'Rehan Beef Shop Zindabad' & advocating for violence, are abhorrent. Such deliberate actions only fuel hatred and widen the rifts in our society,” Reddy posted on X.

BJP Lok Sabha candidate Madhavi Latha told ANI, "I don't understand how Asaduddin Owaisi became a barrister. He keeps talking about personal law. According to personal law, a 'Fatwa' is something that is to be obeyed by all... When there is a Fatwa that beef should not be consumed, then how is he going against the Fatwa. This means he does not respect his own religion... Is the life of a Muslim so small that it revolved around cutting and consuming beef? You are asking for votes on this?... Why is he making the lives of Muslims so small?... He should speak of getting an education and being something for the country... What does it mean to cut beef? Did he not get anything else to ask for votes?... It is a matter of surprise for me."

The AIMIM chief is contesting from his traditional stronghold of Hyderabad, a constituency he has represented since 2004. On Friday, he filed his nomination as an AIMIM candidate for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency.