HYDERABAD: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday called the Partition of India “a historical mistake that should not have happened.”
Owaisi was responding to a question from a reporter during a press conference on comments made by Samajwadi Party leader S.P. Maurya that Mohammad Ali Jinnah was not responsible for Partition, but it was the Hindu Mahasabha that sought it.
“All the leaders of that time are responsible. Read what Abul Kalam Azad wrote in his book India Wins Freedom. He talks about how he went from one big Congress leader to another, asking them not to agree to the proposal. All the Islamic scholars of that time too opposed the two-nation theory. They were also very heartbroken,” Owaisi said.
He said: “Historically, this was one country. Unfortunately, it was divided. It should not have happened. This is what I can tell you. I can also tell you who is responsible for the division of the country if you arrange for a debate. It’s a long story. There can be no single-sentence answer to this question.”
On the Palestine-Israel conflict, he said: “Israel is inflicting collective punishment on Palestinians, which is an international war crime. When we expressed solidarity with Palestine, we were criticised, but the ministry of external affairs too said the Government of India stands in solidarity with Palestinians and that India is committed to an independent Palestine state.” He appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and stop the conflict.
On local political issues, he accused the Congress of keeping “a door open” to join hands with the BJP in case the latter needs help. He said the
appointment of A. Revanth Reddy as the Telangana Congress chief demonstrated how “Rahul Gandhi wants a door to remain open in case of bad times befalling the Congress.” He said “this is the reason why Rahul wanted a leader who came from the RSS and then the BJP to head Congress in Telangana.”
On the Congress and the BJP each calling the MIM the B Team of the other, he said, “In entire Telangana, there is only one issue: B Team and Owaisi.” On accusations that MIM holds the government’s steering, Owaisi said “meri gaadi alag hai, unki gaadi unko mubarak. Panja kiske haath mein hai (my vehicle is different, good luck with their vehicles. In whose hands is the palm symbol?) It is in the hands of a man who came from RSS and BJP.”
Owaisi also extended an invitation to leaders who did not get party tickets to join the MIM. He strongly supported the BRS manifesto calling it very beneficial for the poor from all sections of society.
He also said the MIM would not issue a formal manifesto. The party legislators’ work in their constituencies would be the party’s manifesto.
He did not answer a question on how many candidates the MIM would field.
