INDIA’S prominent Muslim parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday (28) joined the ugly fight between the country’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Indian National Congress that was triggered by a remark made by prime minister Narendra Modi indirectly targeting the minority community at an election rally earlier this month.

Hitting back at Modi’s controversial remark saying “those who have the most children”, Owaisi claimed that “Muslims use condom most”.

In Banswara in the north-western state of Rajasthan where polling for the national elections has ended, Modi targeted the Congress’s promise of “nation-wide socio-economic and caste census” in its poll manifesto and raked up a statement that his predecessor Manmohan Singh had made in 2006 saying “Muslims have first right on all resources”.

He accused the Congress of making a sinister plan of distributing wealth based on its manifesto whereby the common people’s wealth would be snatched and given to the “infiltrators” or indirectly the Muslims.

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“… to whom will this be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children. It will be distributed to infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money go to the infiltrators?” he asked at the rally.

Owaisi, who leads the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen party and represents the constituency of Hyderabad in the southern state of Telangana, had slammed the prime minister the day he made the remark saying that since 2002 (when the Gujarat riots took place) to date, Modi’s only guarantee has been to abuse Muslims and get votes.

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He reiterated the same at a rally in Hyderabad on Sunday (28) where he criticised Modi’s Banswara remarks once again. He also slammed the BJP’s ‘Modi ki guarantee’ tagline, saying, “(the PM) has only one guarantee… hate Dalits and Muslims.”

“Why are you creating fear that Muslims produce more children? According to data from the Modi government, the population growth and fertility among Muslims has decreased. Muslims use condoms most, and I have no shame in saying this…” he said.

“Narendra Modi is instilling fear among Hindus that the Muslims will become majority community. How long will you create fear about the Muslims? Our religion is different but we belong to this country.”

Hyderabad has been a family stronghold of the Owaisis since 1984 when Asaduddin’s father Salahuddin Owaisi had won it as an Independent candidate. Asaduddin has been winning the seat since 2004 but could face a stronger challenge this time from the BJP’s millionaire candidate Madhavi Latha, the richest in Telangana in this election.

Hyderabad will go to polls on May 13.

The Congress moved the Election Commission of India against Modi’s alleged hate speech against the Muslims but even as the poll body issued a notice to the BJP president JP Nadda over the prime minister’s remarks, he repeated Modi’s comments and accused the Congress and its Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance of harbouring a hidden agenda.

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