'Owaisi Sees Bitterness': BJP Slams AIMIM Chief For Criticising PM Over INS Vikrant Commissioning

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that he hope INS Vikrant will give the Prime Minister enough strength to take China's name in the Parliament.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. (File Photo/ PTI)

Soon after Asaduddin Owaisi took a sweep at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over commissioning of India's first indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, the Telangana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party fired salvo at the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief saying that instead of applauding the country on this special moment, the Hyderabad MP takes his usual stance of spreading negativity. 

While speaking to news agency ANI, Owaisi said that he hope INS Vikrant will give the Prime Minister enough strength to take China's name in the Parliament. "I also hope this INS Vikrant will give PM Modi the courage to speak up about China which has occupied 10 villages of our territory. Hope the INS will give him enough strength to take China's name in the parliament," he said earlier in the day.

Furthermore, Owaisi also accused PM Modi of not giving permission to third carrier aircraft because "he has destroyed the economy and the country has no money. "While INS Vikrant was launched, we also have to think that we need a 3rd carrier aircraft but he (PM Modi) is not giving permission. That is because he has destroyed the economy and country has no money. We need 200 ships, but only have 130," he said.

Responding to the allegations, BJP spokesperson NV Subhash said that Owaisi is not a security analyst and should drop his political posturing and once he should rejoice the country's success. 

The Telangana BJP also asserted that the AIMIM chief must check the current facts first before speaking as the recent statistics show increasing levels of economic growth in the country.

"Owaisi is giving provoking and false statements such as Chinese occupying 10 regions and Modi government not reacting to such acts," Subhash said, assuring that the Centre is more than proactive in tackling any external incursion. "It was the Modi government that stopped the Chinese encroachment at Doklam pass in 2017. Also, the Modi government was the one who banned 273 Chinese apps in the country in 2020 when no other nation dared to take such a stance," the BJP spokesperson said.

Subhash also alleged that the AIMIM and its leaders are "always down with conflict inducing mentality, provoking others in the name of religion and what not'. He even advised the Owaisi brothers to try and be more civilised when it comes to national interests. 

The verbal banter between AIMIM and BJP started hours after PM Modi commissioned the INS Vikrant at the Cochin Shipyard Limited and said that India has now joined the select club of nations who have developed indigenous aircraft carriers.

Addressing the commissioning ceremony, Modi said: "INS Vikrant is a floating airfield, a floating town... and the power generated in it can light up 5,000 houses, while the cables can run to Kashi from Kochi."

As per the Central government, INS Vikrant has been built with state-of-the-art automation features and is the largest ship ever built in the country's maritime history.