HYDERABAD: Lashing out at Union home minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Sunday threatening to revoke the four per cent quota for Muslims in education and employment, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi wondered why the BJP was against empowerment of the minority community and was determined to spread ‘negativity and hatred’ against it.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Monday, Owaisi, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha member, emphasised that Muslims were not getting reservations on the basis of religion, but purely on the basis of ‘empirical data’ provided by studies conducted by the government.
“The extension of reservation is purely under the Constitutional provisions as per Article 15 and 16. Why would you want to marginalise and alienate Muslims? When there is empirical data supporting backwardness, why does the BJP want to stop this? The party is indulging in politics of disappearance. There are other important issues that need immediate attention but BJP continues to play politics in the name of Muslims,” he said.
The MP suggested that the BJP should instead focus on breaking the 50 per cent barrier set for reservations.
On opposition unity and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s political overtures and attempts to bring together all non-Congress and non-BJP forces, Owaisi said “They have to cover a much longer distance and Delhi abhi door hai.”
On the BRS’ forays in Aurangabad, where the MIM has a hold, Owaisi felt that the pink party had the right to spread its influence and AIMIM did not feel threatened.
On the BRS attempts to establish an Opposition alliance, Owaisi said that the party leadership had never approached AIMIM on this issue.
On the ongoing debate over Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Owaisi felt that the issue was being pushed to protect majority culture. “Article 29 of the Constitution protects everyone's culture. Northeast has a unique culture, will you be changing it,” he asked.
