Centre metes out \'selective punishment\' to Muslims, says Asaduddin Owaisi

Hyderabad: The BJP government at the Centre was meting out 'selective punishment' to Muslims in India, and was destroying the rule of law, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters here, Owaisi, answering questions on the demolition of houses in Uttar Pradesh of those critical of that state's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, said Adityanath "has become a 'super chief justice' and is running his own courts ordering demolition of houses."

Owaisi said what was happening in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere was "clear evidence of the hatred" the BJP has towards Muslims. "Kids are being beaten up, shot at as happened in Jharkhand where one of the two who were killed in police firing had six bullet wounds," Owaisi said.

“If the government believes someone has broken the law, then it can file cases, prove guilt in the courts and have the guilty punished, but not this,” he said.
Referring to the demolition of student activist Afreen Fatima's house, Owaisi said it belonged to her mother, and the authorities had lied that a notice was previously issued for the demolition. "If Afreen Fatima's house can be demolished, why not that of Teni Mishra, whose son Ashish Mishra mowed down five people with his vehicle," Owaisi asked.

Owaisi also ridiculed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise that his government would fill up 10 lakh vacancies in the next two years. “Actually, there are 55 lakh vacancies in the Central government. These need to be filled up. And then there are the 2 crore jobs a year Modi promised eight years ago. So another 16 crore jobs must be filled," he said.

The job announcement was for political gains with an eye on Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh elections coming up and then the national elections, he said.