Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nov 10: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday targeted BJP and Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis over his "vote jihad-Dharmayuddha" remarks and alleged PM Modi's "Ek Hai to Safe Hai" slogan goes against diversity ethos.
In a veiled attack on Hindutva ideologues revered by the BJP, Owaisi said Fadnavis' (ideological) ancestors wrote "love letters" to Britishers instead of fighting against them.
A day earlier Fadnavis claimed "vote jihad" had begun in the poll-bound Maharashtra which should be countered by "Dharmayuddha" of the vote. He had mentioned the BJP's narrow loss in Dhule Lok Sabha constituency.
Owaisi addressed a public meeting in Jinsi area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in support of AIMIM candidates Imtiaz Jaleel (Aurangabad East) and Naser Siddiqui (Aurangabad Central) for the November 20 assembly elections.
"Our ancestors did jihad against Britishers and Fadnavis is now teaching us about jihad. Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Devendra Fadnavis together cannot defeat me in a debate," he said.
Owaisi suggested that the "dharmayuddha-jihad" remarks amounted to a poll code violation.
"From where did 'vote jihad and dharmayuddha' come in democracy? You purchased MLAs; should we call you a thief?" the Hyderabad MP questioned.
While Fadnavis talks about (vote) jihad, his hero was writing love letters to Britishers whereas our freedom fighters did not negotiate with the foreign rulers.
"We gave the method of fighting against the British. He (Fadnavis) said 'vote jihad' after they (BJP) didn't get votes in Malegaon (during Lok Sabha election). When they fail to get votes, they call it jihad. They lost in Ayodhya. How did that happen"? Owaisi questioned.
"Our ancestors did jihad against Britishers, not yours. Fadnavis, whose ancestors were writing love letters to the British, will teach us jihad?" Owaisi added.
Modi says 'Ek Hai to Safe Hai' because they (BJP) want to end the diversity of this country, the AIMIM leader said, adding that the Maratha community was betrayed by rulers who failed to give them the reservation.
Owaisi alleged that many industrial projects went to Gujarat but Fadnavis showed no courage to stop these industries. "Was he afraid of Narendra Modi?" he asked.
Owaisi referenced a controversy over Hindutva seer Ramgiri Maharaj's statements, saying the remarks against the Prophet won't be tolerated.
He appealed to people to come out to vote on November 20. "Our victory in Aurangabad will be saluted by the people of India".
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ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.