Hyderabad: MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the BJP for supporting the accused persons in the Kathua rape and murder case.
Reacting to the verdict delivered by a Pathankot court which sentenced seven persons, Mr Owaisi claimed that the BJP had supported them and BJP ministers had taken out a rally in their support.
“The chairman of the Bar Council who was the election agent of Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had also supported them. Now the court had convicted the accused,” he said. The BJP has to clarify why their leaders came forward to support them. He said that victims should get justice without considering their faith and community, he said.
Mr Owaisi said, "We condemned other incidents as well. In the case of the murder of a child in which Zahid and Aslam were accused, we did not support them."
He said, “We have to accept the judgement, though one accused was acquitted. Others including police officers were convicted. Police were convicted for distorting evidence. Criminals in all cases should be punished, whatever be their religion.”
Mr Owaisi expressed anguish at the arrest of journalists over a post on Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath.
“Why were they arrested? They were doing their job. It is not fair to arrest them just because Yogi Adityanath did not like this,” Mr Owaisi said.
He said that the incident clearly showed that the BJP government did not believe in independent journalism. “It is an attack on journalism,” he said and added that all journalists must protest by wearing black armbands.
Mr Owaisi clarified his comment that Congress president Rahul Gandhi won from Wayanad in Kerala because of Muslims. “It is a fact that in Wayanad nearly 45 per cent voters are Muslims,” he said. The Congress and other secular parties secured more votes from Muslims.
In Uttar Pradesh, the alliance secured 73 per cent of Muslim votes. In Bihar the ratio was higher. He said, “Only I do not get Muslim votes. Other parties are getting Muslim votes. It is high time that the Muslim community considers where their votes are going. If regional parties were not present, particularly in the south, the BJP would have swept the elections.”
The MIM president e said that CSGS data showed that BJP had secured 37 per cent votes of Hindus in 2014 and 44 per cent this time.
“If you count the NDA then it goes up to 51 per cent. There is no change in the pattern of Muslim voters,” Mr Owaisi said in support of his statement on the matter.
