Asaduddin Owaisi dares Amit Shah to face him in polls

Hyderabad: Reacting to Amit Shah’s claim that the BJP would win the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat in 2019, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday challenged the BJP president to face him in the polls for the seat. 

He said “I dare you to contest the next elections against me from Hyderabad. Instead of finding a candidate, Amit Shah is welcome to contest against me. Winning the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat will remain a dream and a mirage for the BJP.”

He said that not only would the MIM win the Hyderabad seat in 2019, it would also snatch the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat from the BJP. 

“The BJP will also face defeat in Goshamahal, Khairatabad, Amberpet, Musheerabad and Uppal Assembly constituencies in the city,” the MIM chief said.

Reminding of the defeat of M. Venkaiah Naidu against his father Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat in 1996, the MIM chief cautioned the BJP that history would repeat itself. 

Taking exception to Amit Shah’s statement that the Union government had provided Rs 1 lakh-crore to TS, he said that in a federal setup, the Union government has to provide funds to every state and such funds is the right of the states. Every year, the Union government receives around Rs 50,000 crore from Telangana through various taxes, including Rs 32,000 crore as Income Tax, the MP said. 

“Are we beggars? It is our right! You have to give it to us,” he said.

Alleging that the BJP has failed to fulfil its poll promises, the MP said that it had promised to create one crore jobs but only 2.03 lakh were provided jobs in the last three years.

He also alleged that Muslims were being targeted and lynched across the country by self-styled gau rakshaks.