‘This Country Never Had And Will Never Have Any Muslim Vote Bank’: Asaduddin Owaisi

The videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex in Varanasi resumed earlier in the day amid tight security arrangements, officials said.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi (File Photo: Getty Images)

New Delhi: Venting his ire over the Gyanvapi mosque survey, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said this country never had and will never have any Muslim vote bank, ANI reported. Owaisi also trained his guns on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government and said the Gyanvapi issue has now cropped up instead of the Babri Masjid. “This country never had and will never have any Muslim vote bank,” he said, according to the news agency.

“If we could change the government, why such less Muslim representation in the Indian Parliament? If we could change the government then instead of Babri Masjid... now Gyanvapi issue has cropped up,” he said.

The videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex in Varanasi resumed earlier in the day amid tight security arrangements, officials said.

"The survey work went on in a peaceful manner. And, there has been no objection from anyone. Everything is normal and conducive, and all parties co-operated,” Varanasi Police Commissioner A. Satish Ganesh told PTI.

“Today’s survey is over, and it will continue tomorrow (Sunday) as well,” he added.

The mosque is located close to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple and the local court is hearing a plea by a group of women seeking permission for daily prayers before the idols on its outer walls.

More than 1,500 policemen and PAC jawans have been deployed as part of the security arrangement.

District Civil Court (Senior Division) judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar had in his order earlier on Thursday turned down a plea by the mosque committee to replace Ajay Kumar Mishra, who was appointed advocate commissioner to survey the Gyanvapi-Gauri Shringar complex.

The survey was stalled last week amid objections by the mosque committee, which claimed that the advocate commissioner did not have the mandate to film inside the premises.

The committee accused him of bias and filed a plea for his replacement.