AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of adopting a discriminatory approach by showering flower petals on kanwariyas but bulldozing the houses of Muslims.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Monday undertook an aerial survey of the ongoing Kanwar Yatra in western parts of the state where flower petals were also showered on kanwariyas.
Kanwariyas (devotees of Lord Shiva) from different parts of the country collect water from the Ganga river at Haridwar in Uttarakhand to offer at Shiva temples back home in the month of Shrawan.
Referring to the showering of flowers, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief tweeted, "If flowers are being showered on them then at least don't break our (Muslims) houses."
The Hyderabad MP also shared a newspaper clipping on the Kanwar Yatra and claimed that the state government meted out special treatment to kanwariyas.
"Why this distinction? There should be fairness. Why hate one and love the other? Why divert traffic for one religion and bulldozer for the other?" he said.
The Adityanath government had made elaborate arrangements for the smooth passage of Kanwar Yatra in the state after a gap of two years when it remained suspended because of Covid.
Traffic routes were reworked for the unhindered passage of the yatra.
During the yatra, according to the instructions of the chief minister, state government officials showered flower petals from helicopters and other vehicles at different places, including Baghpat and Meerut.
There have also been reports of senior officials "serving" the kanwariyas at different places in the state.
Owaisi shared another news article, which claimed that the nameplate of a Muslim police officer in Khirwa, Meerut was blacked out by his seniors after kanwariyas passing by created a ruckus.
"The police showered petals, welcomed kanwariyas with national flags, applied lotion on their feet and treated them with kindness. Delhi Police talked about relocating blacksmiths (as they eat non-vegetarian food) so that kanwariyas would not get angry, while the UP government ordered close of shops selling meat along the routes of the yatra," he said.
"If a Muslim offers prayers even for a few minutes in an open place then there is a ruckus. Muslims are facing police bullets, custodial clashes, NSA, UAPA, lynching, bulldozers and sabotage just for being Muslims," the AIMIM leader said in another tweet referring to the action taken in different parts of the state against those offering namaz at public places.
"Is this not revadi culture?" said Owaisi referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent speech in which he cautioned people against what he called the "revadi culture" of offering freebies for garnering votes and said it is "very dangerous" for the development of the country.
Continuing with his offensive, Owaisi said in a tweet, "The BJP-led UP government is showering petals on Kanwariyas using public money. We want them to treat everyone equally. They don't shower flowers on us (Muslims). Instead, they bulldoze our houses," he said.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government refuted Owaisi's allegations.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the AIMIM leader is known for practising divisive politics in the name of religion.
Weren't Muslims getting houses under government schemes or water under the "Har Ghar Jal" programme? BJP is following the mantra of "sabka saath, sabka vikas" he said.
BJP MP Subrat Pathak said Owaisi is trying to become a "future (Mohammad Ali) Jinnah" -- the founder of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi claimed that the state government also makes arrangements for 'Tajia' processions and Roza Iftars.
"These statement of Owaisi have been made to create communal division in the society and incite the sentiments of people," Tripathi said.
(With PTI inputs)
