Responding to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s Twitter post that equated him with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said the insult was not directed at him but at all Muslims who sport a beard and wear the skull cap.
On Wednesday, Mr. Singh posted a cropped picture of Mr. Owaisi merged with a picture of Mr. Bhagwat. The post also carried the comment, "Two perpetrators of religious fanaticism who are destroying the social fabric of this country."
Blame game
Responding to the post in Hyderabad, Mr. Owaisi asked whether Mr. Singh would deem all observant Muslims in the country destroyers of the social fabric. Questioning the credentials of Mr. Singh, Mr. Owaisi indicated that the Congress leadership was in power whenever secular social fabric of the country was challenged.
"When a 1,000 Muslims were killed in Bhagalpur massacre of Bihar was not the Congress in power? Was that not a destruction of the social fabric? And when idols were placed in Babri Masjid wasn’t the Congress government in power in Uttar Pradesh," Mr. Owaisi asked. When Muslims were massacred in the Babri Masjid violence, P. V. Narasimha Rao of the Congress was Prime Minister, Mr. Owaisi said, adding that the Congress leadership had destroyed the social fabric of the country over the years.
“When riots broke out in Bombay after the demolition of Babri Masjid was not your government in power," Mr. Owaisi asked. "And now why are you shedding crocodile tears?"
The Congress was ruling when Mecca Masjid bomb blast took place in Hyderabad, Mr Owaisi said, adding that in Maharashtra during Congress’ 12-year rule, most jails were filled with innocent Muslim convicts.
Mr. Owaisi took at dig at Mr. Singh, saying the latter had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a family wedding. "Why have you not put up those pictures," he asked.
Mr Owaisi said unless Dalits and Muslims got justice, the country would not have a secular future.
