Asaduddin Owaisi: Being anti-Modi does not make you anti-national

AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi, recently gave a television interview where he spoke on the current Anti-Modi wave in the Indian political scenario.  Owaisi started off with clarifying the doubts raised on his speech in Beed, where he was accused of asking Muslim voters to vote for Muslim candidates only. He said that his speech was misconstrued with a bid to polarise politics. “There is hardly any Muslim representation in the Parliament. There is barely 4 percent representation which does not make up for good numbers. What I said was Muslims should contest elections and be active in politics. Nowhere did I try to communalise the electoral politics. Political representation is a key which opens doors of democracy”.

Talking about the current political scenario, Owaisi took on Prime Minister Modi and the BJP government. ” Dalits and Muslims are targeted in this environment of hate. This hate all around. There are mob-lynchings happening every second day.  Today being anti-Modi amounts to being an anti-national. But opposing Modi does not make one an anti-national. This country is bigger than Modi, he is not bigger than the country.”

He also spoke about his reluctance to say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. ” The constitution has given me the freedom of speech and expression. If you want to make everyone say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, make it into a law and I will follow it.”

On being asked if AIMIM will be open to allying with Congress, he said, ” People of this country are tired of the two national parties. They are looking with hope and expectations from the regional parties.  I am open to the Third Front. If you ask me, regional parties will play an important role in forming government after the 2019 elections.”