Pune, Feb 4 (IANS) All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi Wednesday made an impassioned plea to the government to give reservation to the Muslim community to enable it join the national mainstream.
Addressing a massive rally in Pune, the Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad indirectly referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statements offering Quran and laptops to Muslims during his election rallies in Pune before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
"Mr. Prime Minister, the Holy Quran we keep in our hearts, you can keep the computers. Just give us reservation and we shall make ourselves capable in all respects," Owaisi urged, amidst thunderous applause.
He said that in the past 15 years of the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party rule in Maharashtra, the issue of reservation was not resolved and called upon the present BJP Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to give quotas to Muslims based on social representation.
"Why can't there be Muslim doctors, IAS, IPS officers? The community's population in Maharashtra is 11 percent or more than 12 million, but 70 percent live below the poverty line. Not a single Muslim MP was elected from here in the past few elections," he said, as the crowds cheered him.
Owaisi said he was proud to be a Muslim, to wear a cap, sport a beard, and wear a 'sherwani' (a typical Muslim jacket) as the crowd chanted "Sher aaya, bhai Sher aaya" (Tiger has come...).
"We wear this ordinary 'sherwani', locally stitched, as we are a poor community, unlike you Mr. Prime Minister.
"We have no objections and wish you have many more such specially stitched jackets from London, but Muslim youth are in a pathetic condition, they need reservation," Owaisi said, in a reference to Modi's wardrobe which became a topic of discussion during US President Barack Obama's recent visit to India.
He said the Muslim community must be taken together in the BJP's slogan of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas", and Modi should ensure equal development of the minority community.
Owaisi vowed to visit every corner of Maharashtra in favour of reservation.
Dismissing contentions that Muslims did not contribute to the Indian freedom struggle, he said many people from the community sacrificed their lives for the country's independence.
He said independent India's first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was in favour of granting reservation to Muslims not on religious grounds, but on social grounds.
Owaisi posed a direct question to Modi, asking: "Mr. Prime Minister, how did your friend Amit Shah secure a clean chit in the Sohrabuddin case so quickly? Why innocent Muslim youths languish for years in jail?
"Try them in fast track courts. If there is no evidence against them, they must be released. If they are guilty, they must be punished."
Most roads leading to Kauserbaug Hall, which is actually an open venue for weddings and other functions, were jammed.
Huge crowds gathered on the roads, on building terraces, vehicles and tree tops, waiting to catch a glimpse of the firebrand leader at the 'Muslim Arakshan Parishad' organised by the Maharashtra and Mulnivasi Muslim Manch.
Earlier Wednesday, police had slapped Owaisi with stringent conditions for speaking at the rally with warnings of action if he made any inflammatory statements.
The rally, which was mired in uncertainties for the past couple of days following objections from the local Shiv Sena and the Pune Cantonment Board, saw police making over 300 preventive arrests of Shiv Sainiks who were planning to demonstrate at the venue.
Virtually gagging Owaisi, police had directed Owaisi to refrain from provocative utterances which could create religious, linguistic or communal tension and the media was barred from covering the event live from the venue.
Police estimated the crowd at around 2,000, even as the organisers claimed there were 25,000 people. Independent witnesses and media persons pegged the crowd at 13,000-15,000.
These changes may happen in iPhone 14, Apple may rebrand the chip
Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 14 series in or around September and now a new report su
PM Modi at Vishwa Bharati University - educated people are also involved in spreading terror
PM Modi attended it digitally at the convocation of Visva Bharati University. Union Education Min
More than 700 million doses of COVAXIN to be made in a year, Bharat Biotech announced
Bharat Biotech has today announced to increase the capacity to produce 70 million doses of COVAXI
'Insulted Baba Saheb, made us lose elections twice', PM Modi attacks Congress in Hisar.
The dream of the first plane flying from Maharaja Agrasen Hisar Airport came true on Monday. Prim
Southeast Asian Chinese's Cross-Cultural Traditions at National Museum
New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) A slice of cross-cultural traditions of the Peranakan Chinese in Singap
Supreme Court: The Supreme Court said on Thursday that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will have
There is a political uproar over the decision to ban 'Namaz break' in Assam. While BJP leaders ar
India-Pakistan cricket matches from December: Pakistan envoy
Kolkata, March 17 (IANS) India and Pakistan are set to resume bilateral cricketing ties in Dece
Atiq Ahmed Case in Supreme Court: The Supreme Court will hear the murder case of Mafia Atiq Ahmed
There has been a decrease in the cases of coronavirus (Covid-19 Cases in India) in the country. I
