Owaisi vows to continue protests against Waqf law till it is withdrawn
Hyderabad (PTI): AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has vowed to continue protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act until it is rolled back, accusing the Centre of "targetting" Muslim identity and rights.
Addressing a public meeting organised on Saturday night by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) at the AIMIM headquarters here, he emphasised that the opposition to the Act would mirror the earlier protests against the repealed farm laws.
"You (PM Narendra Modi) will have to take back this law. The way our farmer brothers have shown the path, we will continue to agitate the same way. Until the law is withdrawn, there will be peaceful protest in the country," he said.
He asked the crowd: "Are you (gathering) ready for a long-drawn democratic battle? If you are ready, promise yourself that we will continue to protest till this black law is not withdrawn and we will not step back."
Referring to the triple talaq law, CAA and religious conversion legislations in BJP-ruled states, Owaisi alleged that PM Modi has been attacking the religious identity of Muslims for the past 11 years.
"Now, in the name of Uniform Civil Code, he (Modi) wants to take away our Shariat from us."
The AIMIM leader also claimed that the exclusion of the Dawoodi Bohras from the Waqf (Amendment) bill was a move to divide and weaken the Muslim community.
Taking exception to a BJP leader's remarks on the Supreme Court, Owaisi said, "When verdicts like those in Ayodhya and other cases go against Muslims, we don't lash out... Even when the decision goes against what we wish for, we accept it. We accept because we believe in constitutional morality. But, these Sangh Parivar people are anti-constitution people..."
He further alleged that the BJP is "undermining the Constitution and threatening with a religious war."
"Mr Modi, who got radicalized? You are in power. Your people got radicalized. They got so radicalized that they are threatening the court that there will be a religious war," he said.
Speaking on the occasion, DMK MP MM Abdulla said the party supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin had asked him to convey to the gathering that the party stood in solidarity with not just minorities of Tamil Nadu, but with the minorities of the country.
Several other leaders including AIMPLB president Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rehmani also addressed the gathering.
The AIMPLB announced a campaign called 'Save Waqf, Save Constitution' to be launched in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
As part of it, a series of activities are planned, including blackout protests, round-table discussions, Women's public gathering, human chain protest, sit-in protest and public meetings.
A central sit-in protest will be held in Hyderabad on June 1, the AIMPLB said in a release.
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People must do politics; elected representatives must work, says Actor Prakash Raj
Kalaburagi: Actor and activist Prakash Raj has said that in a democracy, politics must be done by the people, while elected representatives are meant to work and serve after winning elections.
Speaking at the launch of Vartha Bharati's Kalyana Karnataka edition in Kalaburagi on Saturday, Prakash Raj said that once representatives are elected, their only responsibility is service. “This is our tax, our country. Service is the only job of people’s representatives. They come to seek votes every five years; the people do not,” he said.
Releasing the newspaper’s special issue at the event, he asserted that the distinction between people and politicians must never be reversed. “This is our country. Citizens must continuously engage in politics, and politicians must continuously work. Never change this order. Politics belongs to the people,” he said.
ALSO READ: Kalaburagi: ‘Vartha Bharati’ Kalyana Karnataka edition launched
Quoting writer P. Lankesh, Prakash Raj said newspapers, media, artists, and citizens must act as a permanent opposition. “They must be the voice of the people without seeking the patronage of the ruling party. Only then can they work fearlessly,” he said. He stressed the need to clearly tell today’s society who must engage in politics.
Referring to regional imbalance, he said Karnataka has become Bengaluru-centric and confined largely to southern Karnataka. With Vartha Bharati entering the Kalyana Karnataka region, he said the newspaper must contribute to the region’s development by consistently reporting its issues with a strong voice.
Prakash Raj also spoke about the role of independent media, saying that anyone can be swept away in a flood, including dead fish, but to swim against the current requires life. “Independent media have that life. Ravish Kumar, The Wire, and Vartha Bharati have the courage to swim against the flood,” he said.
He warned that fear strengthens authoritarianism. “If we are not afraid, they will be afraid,” he said, alleging that institutions such as the police, Election Commission, courts, and media are being pressured, silenced, and manipulated for political benefit. Expressing concern over the denial of bail to Umar Khalid, he said there is a visible lack of conscience in institutions meant to deliver justice to the people.
Recalling the early years after Independence, Prakash Raj said there was once fear of the police but also faith in the judiciary. “There was confidence that injustice would be addressed in court. Today, that faith no longer exists,” he said. He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party are responsible for the present situation.
Using a metaphor, he said India is like a pond disturbed by a demon within it. “A lotus blooms on the surface, that is the BJP. We are fighting the lotus, but the real fight should be against the RSS, the root power beneath,” he said.
Drawing parallels with past global authoritarian regimes, he said leaders like Hitler and Mussolini headed political parties and could be defeated electorally. “The RSS is not a political party. Defeating the BJP alone is not enough. The roots must be uprooted,” he said, adding that despite changes in appearance, the ideological growth remains unchanged.
Prakash Raj also raised concerns over Hindi imposition, delimitation, and what he described as political oppression of southern states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh in the name of elections. He said people must recognise who is responsible for this oppression and understand the role of newspapers like Vartha Bharati in identifying and exposing it.
The event also marked the formal launch of Vartha Bharati's Kalyana Karnataka edition in Kalaburagi.
