New Delhi: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said that he wishes to see a woman with a hijab as the Prime Minister of India, as reported by the news agency ANI reported. “I wish to see a woman with hijab as the Prime Minister of India,” ANI quoted Owaisi as saying. Earlier on Tuesday, Owaisi lashed out at the Centre and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is against "Muslim identity".
"They think they have danger from halal meat, Muslims' caps, and their beards. They have problems with their food habits. The party is actually against Muslim identity," ANI quoted Owaisi as saying. He further alleged that BJP's real agenda is to end India's diversity. "PM's words 'Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas' are empty rhetoric. BJP's real agenda is to end India's diversity and Muslim identity," Owaisi added.
Notably, Owaisi is seeking to gain a stronghold in Uttar Pradesh's politics. AIMIM is planning to contest all the seats in future elections in the state, according to Uttar Pradesh AIMIM president Shaukat Ali, as reported by ANI. Ali also claimed that many leaders of the Samajwadi Party will join the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party in the future.
Speaking to ANI earlier, Ali said that the Muslims have always supported "secular forces" to defeat the BJP.
"The people are coming towards AIMIM now. We are contesting in East UP, Purwanchal, Central UP, and Bundelkhand. Leaders of the Samajwadi Party will join MIM. The 2017 elections were polarised by the BJP through the media. The Muslims thought that the Samajwadi Party could defeat the BJP. Since independence, the Muslims have always supported secular forces to defeat the BJP," he said.
Ali stated that his party chief Owaisi never polarised by speaking on the "Hindu-Muslim issues", Ali said that the party will keep fighting for the community.
"Owaisi never spoke about Hindu-Muslim issues. ATMs were blacklisted in Muslim areas, so it became national news. It became a Hindu-Muslim issue. There are hardly any banks in Muslim areas in UP. No schools, no proper hospitals and medicines in these areas. We will keep fighting for all this," Ali said.
In September, after the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a survey of Islamic educational institutions or Madrassas in Kanpur, Owaisi alleged that the government is targeting Waqf property which is a "systematic targeting of Muslims".
Attacking the Uttar Pradesh government, Owaisi alleged that there is a "conspiracy" behind the madrasas' survey.
While addressing the media persons in Hyderabad, he said, "Why are you (UP Govt) conducting a survey of Waqf properties only? Do it for Hindu Endowments Board properties too. I was saying there's a conspiracy behind madrasas' survey. It's coming to the fore. UP govt is violating Article 300 (Right to property)."
"If someone has illegally registered govt property as Waqf property, fight it in court, go to Tribunal. UP govt is targeting Waqf property and trying to snatch it away. Such a targeted survey is absolutely wrong. We condemn it. It's systematic targetting of Muslims," he added.
(With ANI Inputs)