AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said over the years the minorities voted for Congress in Gujarat expecting the party will raise its voice against the oppression of the minority community but it didn’t, drawing no end to the politics of hate.
On Monday evening, as the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi condemned secular parties, Congress, and Aam Adami Party (AAP), accusing them of endorsing violence against minorities and oppressed, youths in the rally would come forward to record his speech during a Surat rally. And Owaisi reminded them that they should concentre more on what he says rather than praising and recording his "fiery speech."
He said over the years the minorities voted for Congress in Gujarat expecting the party will raise its voice against the oppression of the minority community but it didn’t, drawing no end to the politics of hate.
Referring to the release of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, Owaisi said these people convicted of rape and murder were released on the argument that they have spent a long time in jail and their conduct was "sanskari”.
"You cannot cry. No one is bothered about your tears. Your tears are considered mere drama. When you are suffering and sighing, they laugh at you. Your vote has no value. You have voted for Congress but has Congress party ever raised its voice in your favour?” he asked.
Holding Congress responsible for the present “abject situation of the minority community,” he asked people to vote after “a lot of thinking.”
“I have come here to tell you truth. So that once you return to your home you realize whom you would give your vote to. Your vote is your strength and it is necessary to use it thoughtfully. I am appealing to you to vote with all seriousness. You must not give a vote to those who remain silent on our plight. I am asking you to vote for Majlis's candidate. Why? Majlis will fight against injustice and barbarism. We will not tolerate injustice. Indian Constitution gives us the right to equality. Majlis is fighting this fight for equality and justice,” he said amid cheers from the audience.
Asking for votes for Majlis candidate, Abdul Bashir Shaikh from Limbayat in Surat, said that this was the time to fight for a bright future. “In our lives, we have only seen destruction but we don’t want our youth to live like stories of oppression and suffering. We want no fear touches your skin. That is why you must work hard to make Majlis succeed. Indian democracy needs your voice. That voice will emerge from you once you will get united and vote thoughtfully,” he added.
Laying emphasis on having a Muslim voice in the state Assembly and the parliament, he said, “as long as you don’t have a voice in politics, as long as you don’t have an identity in politics, your dreams will remain only dreams.”
“You need to have political power and political identity. I am appealing to you to remain united. Majlis is with the weak, we are with the oppressed. We are for the safety of mothers and sisters. Democracy is our voice,” he said.
He reiterated that even though Majlis has only two MPs in the Parliament, they are able to raise issues of minorities before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah forcibly. “We talk about justice,” he added.
He said that Congress accused him of being BJP’s B-team. “And now small recharge (Arvind Kejriwal) has come from New Delhi and he is also saying the same. The BJP says Owaisi is anti-national. I am telling you let Rahul (Rahul Gandhi), Kejriwal, and Modi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) sit together and decide who Owaisi is.”
“Congress is with BJP and that is why for 27 years there is the government of BJP in Gujarat. They are all together. In previous elections you voted against BJP and for Congress and then 12 Congress MLAs went on to have chai with the BJP,” Owaisi said referring to switching sides of 12 MLAs of Congress to the BJP.
He said Home Minister Amit Shah came up with an amendment to UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act), giving vast powers to the NIA (National Investigation Agency) to arrest anyone and Congress supported the amendment in the parliament. “In Lok Sabha, both Congress and Kejriwal supported Amit Shah. I am exposing them. And that is why they are angry with me,” he added. He said Kejriwal is following in the BJP’s footsteps. “If you vote for the Congress or the AAP, the BJP will benefit,” Owaisi said.
He said when the triple Talaq law came before the parliament, he argued against it on the basis of law and constitution but ironically Congress was supporting the law. “That is why I am telling you that you have to decide whether you will join with those who remain silent on your plight or those who raise their voice against all kinds of injustice you are subjected to,” he said.
Attacking the BJP, he said, the BJP has nothing to show. “So Modi said he made Gujarat. Was there no Gujarat before Modi?” he asked. “Gujarat was made by the people of Gujarat, not by Modi,” he said.
He added that the Prime Minister will not say anything about the Morbi bridge collapse that killed 135 people. He said those two Muslim youths, who were accused of pelting stones, were lathi-charged in the market in front of hundreds of people but those involved in the Morbi tragedy are enjoying themselves in their AC rooms. “We expect the country’s prime minister will also remember the Morbi bridge,” he added.
Taking a jibe at the BJP, he said that the saffron party talked about bringing the Uniform Civil Code but at the same time continued with the disturbed areas act in parts of Gujarat.
The Disturbed Areas Act empowers the government to declare riot-prone areas as ‘disturbed’. Property sale or transfer in areas where the Act has been imposed requires additional permission from the collector’s office affirming free consent.
“Is it sab ka sath sab ka vikas?" he added.