Owaisi advocates for 'constitutional secularism', slams Maharashtra govt over reservations

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday visited Maharashtra to campaign for the upcoming Mumbai civic polls. During his address at the 'Tiranga Rally', Owaisi questioned what 'Muslims of India have got from secularism'. In addition, he also asked if Muslims got reservations from secularism. 

Without naming the Babri Masjid demolition, Owaisi questioned 'if those who demolished the mosque get punishment?'. The AIMIM chief strongly voiced out against 'political secularism' and asserted that he believes in 'constitutional secularism'. The AIMIM chief has therefore suggested that Muslims should not get trapped in 'political secularism'.

During his speech, Owaisi also claimed that graduate Muslims in Maharashtra only constitute 4.9 per cent while there are only 13 per cent Muslim students, said Owaisi. According to him, '83 per cent of Muslims in Maharashtra are landless'. Raking up this issue, the AIMIM chief slammed the Shiv Sena and the BJP and said that if their government would have provided reservations to the Muslims, Muslim children would have received education.  

Owaisi demands reservations for backward Muslims of Maharashtra

The AIMIM chief during his Tiranga rally also demanded reservation for backward Muslims of Maharashtra. Taking to Twitter, he added that the rally was also organised to ensure protection of Waqf properties in the state. He further hailed his party workers in Maharashtra for making this rally a huge success.

Owaisi slams Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray for imposition of Section 144 

After the AIMIM was denied permission to campaign for the Maharashtra civic polls, Asaduddin Owaisi lashed out at Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The AIMIM supremo asked if the same would have been done if a Congress leader visited the state.  In the backdrop of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, the state government has imposed Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) within Mumbai commissionerate limits. Rallies and protest marches involving people and vehicles were banned over the next two days, including the campaign of AIMIM. 

"They imposed 144 on my arrival in the name of Omicron. Tell how much genome sequencing happened in Maharashtra? Not even 1% genome sequencing happened in entire India," Owaisi said

(With ANI inputs)