Hyderabad politician Asaduddin Owaisi has blamed right wing groups under Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological mentor of the BJP, for the hate crimes in the country. The Prime Minister, he said, is speaking against
such attacks, but he has not been able to stop it.
“Hatred is being created in the minds of the people against Muslims,” he said.
“People are being beaten up if they do not raise slogans of JSR (Jai Shri Ram) and VM (Vande Mataram). Such incidents aren’t going to stop. Only Muslims and Dalits are being targeted,” he said today. “There are organisations
behind such incidents and all of them are linked to Sangh Parivar,” he said.
Mr Owaisi’s remark comes days after a 24-year-old in Jharkhand died after an attack by a mob. This was the first hate crime since the PM Modi was re-elected with a massive mandate.
Days before, a madrasa teacher was allegedly beaten up and pushed off a moving train in Bengal by a group of men who were forcing him to shout the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan.
PM Modi, who spoke of gaining the trust of minorities in his acceptance speech, said he was “pained” by the death in Jharkhand.
“I am pained and those responsible will get stringent punishment,” he had said in reply to Motion of Thanks on President’s address in the upper house of Parliament. Then he added, “Some people in the Rajya Sabha are calling
Jharkhand a hub of lynching. Is this fair? Why are they insulting a state? None of us have the right to insult the state of Jharkhand.”
Mr Owaisi recently faced loud slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” when he took oath as a lawmaker in parliament. After his oath, the lawmaker shot back, “Jai Bheem, Jai Meem, Takbeer Allahu Akbar, Jai Hind”. Meem
is his party AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen).
After Tabrez Ansari’s death, Mr Ansari had tweeted: “This is the pattern with almost all lynchings. First, a Muslim is murdered by cow lovers. Then the most ridiculous excuses begin: a ‘suspicion’ of beef possession, theft, smuggling
& love jihad. So much for sabka vishwas when we can be killed over mere ‘suspicions’.”
