Asaduddin Owaisi has said the BJP wants to destroy Hyderabad.
Highlights
- Mr Owaisi challanged PM to campaign for civic body polls
- "Bring Narendra Modi and campaign here," Mr Owaisi said
- BJP has fielded some of its top leaders to campaign in the election
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to campaign for the December 1 Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections and see how many seats his party, the BJP, wins.
“You bring Narendra Modi to the old city and campaign here. We will see what happens. Organise his meeting here and we will see how many seats you will win here," the President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) said at a public gathering in Hyderabad, according to ANI.
Mr Owaisi's challenge to the Prime Minister came amid the BJP parading its big guns for a municipal election and even making what are being construed as deeply polarising allegations.
"These are municipal elections, they will not talk about development… Hyderabad has become a developed city, many MNCs have been set up here, but the BJP wants to destroy it, by bringing down the brand name of Hyderabad," Mr Owaisi said, according to an ANI report.
The four-time Hyderabad Parliamentarian's statements come days after top BJP leaders such as sate party President, Bandi Sanjay, and Bengaluru South MP, Tejaswi Surya alleged the presence of infiltrators in the Old City locality of Hyderabad.
Mr Sanjay on Wednesday threatened a “surgical strike to flush out Rohingya and Pakistanis” in Hyderabad. A few days ago, Mr Surya branded the AIMIM chief a “modern Mohammed Ali Jinnah” whose party was allegedly protecting thousands of Rohingyas in the Old City area.
In response, Mr Owaisi yesterday held Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah responsible for such infiltrators hiding in the city.
"It is their (PM Modi's and Mr Shah's) failure that they were sleeping and Pakistanis have entered here, I have never seen them here. They want to build a wall of hatred between Hindus and Muslims,” Mr Owaisi said.
The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the Congress, too, have objected to the use of terms such as “surgical strike” during an election campaign.
Minister KT Rama Rao, who is spearheading the TRS's campaign, said the BJP state chief was embarrassing his own party leadership by asking these questions and making wild allegations.
"Have they infiltrated from right under the nose of the Union Home Minister and Defence Minister? Mr Amit Shah would need to.answer why they have not acted on this?" Mr Rao told NDTV.