Nagpur: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his assertion on the religious identity of India’s leadership, stating that it reflects his “Pakistani thinking”.
This came as CM Sarma, on Saturday, said that while the Constitution does not restrict anyone from becoming the Prime Minister, the country’s civilisational ethos would ensure that the post remains with a Hindu.
Speaking to IANS, Owaisi said, “His mind is like a tubelight. He took an oath on the Constitution. Where in the Constitution is this written? Himanta Biswa Sarma’s thinking reflects that of Pakistan’s, where the Constitution allows only a person from a particular community to become Prime Minister or President. In contrast, the Constitution of India, framed by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, is far more inclusive and thoughtful.”
“It is unfortunate that some people neither understand the Constitution nor its spirit. India does not belong to any single community; its beauty lies in the fact that even those who do not follow any religion have a place here. Such narrow-minded thinking reflects a petty mindset,” Owaisi added.
Addressing the media, Chief Minister Sarma had said there is “no constitutional bar” on who can occupy the highest executive office in the country.
“Anybody can become the Prime Minister of India,” he said, but added that India is essentially a Hindu civilisation and expressed confidence that the Prime Minister would always emerge from that civilisational framework.
These war of words broke out after the AIMIM chief, during a public meeting in Maharashtra’s Solapur ahead of the civic polls, had stated that a hijab-wearing woman will one day become the Prime Minister of the country.
These remarks drew widespread criticism from across party lines.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao said, “The feelings of the Owaisi clearly reveal how they conduct their politics in religious terms. This shows that he does not have any other option left.”
BJP leader Poonam Mahajan claimed that Owaisi’s AIMIM is an “offshoot” of Congress, which only talks about the Muslim community.
Speaking to IANS, Mahajan said, “Owaisi is very sharp and experienced in delivering speeches, but he does not apply that experience in politics. In politics, he follows a policy of divide and rule. His party is an offshoot of the Congress and works only for Muslim interests, not for the interests of the country. That is the unfortunate part.”
Congress, however, mocked Owaisi for not being “serious”.
Speaking to reporters, Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi said, “He is talking about who will become the Prime Minister in the Maharashtra municipal elections, which shows how seriously he is contesting the election. When a hijab-wearing woman wanted to become a Mayor in Madhya Pradesh’s Burhanpur, he fielded his own candidate and defeated her.”
“To date, he has not been able to make a hijab-wearing woman an MLA from his party, so how will he make someone a Prime Minister? He just talks baselessly, nothing else,” he added.
Earlier, speaking to the reporters, Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane had said, “Barking dogs never bite. As long as our Hindu nation stands, if anyone continues to threaten Hindus, trying to convert this Hindu nation into an Islamic nation, trying to intimidate us, it means we won’t even be able to worship at our homes, won’t be able to say ‘Jai Shri Ram’, or put up banners of Mahadev. Those who are giving such threats, we need to decide whether we should allow them to stay in Maharashtra or not. They need to think about this now.”
(IANS)
