Thane, Jan 28: All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi asked Dalits, Muslims and Adivasis to come together and reject national parties in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Speaking at a rally of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi Sunday in Kalyan in the district, he said it was time for the "deprived" to hit back rather than continue "suffering" as was the case in the past 70 years.

The Vanchit Bhaujan Aghadi is an outfit floated by the AIMIM and the Prakash Ambedkar-led Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM).

He said Babasaheb Ambedkar had laid down equal rights for all citizens of the country.

He took a dig at the Congress and the ruling BJP and claimed the two parties had got elected on the votes of the "deprived" classes but had only meted out injustice to them.

The AIMIM president said the country needed a "pehredar" (guard) rather than a "chowkidar" (watchman), a term Prime Minister Narendra Modi often uses to describe himself and his role.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also came in for criticism from Owaisi who called him a "janeudhari" (wearer of the sacred thread).

The Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP said only parties like the one led by Prakash Ambedkar could do justice to the poor and downtrodden and not the Congress or leaders like PM Modi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

A few days after President Ram Nath Kovind announced Bharat Ratna to Mukherjee, RSS leader and social activist late Nanaji Deshmukh and late music maestro Bhupen Hazarika, the AIMIM chief claimed the country's highest civilian honour had only been bestowed on people from the "upper caste".

He pointed out that Dalit icon Babasaheb Ambedkar was given the Bharat Ratna as he deserved it and because he was the architect of the Constitution.

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Bengaluru: In a major crackdown on drug trafficking and illegal narcotics trade, Bengaluru City Police have arrested 16 accused persons and seized narcotic substances worth Rs 36.67 crore.

According to Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, those arrested include four foreign nationals, eight persons from other states and four locals. Police said the network had interstate as well as international links.

Police recovered 9 kg 64 grams of MDMA, 5 kg 195 grams of hydro ganja, 19,755 LSD strips, 156 grams of heroin, 618 grams of charas, 332 grams of cocaine, 315 grams of drug-mixed gummies and 11 kg 470 grams of ganja from the accused.

The Commissioner said the action was carried out as part of a major anti-drug operation in the city. The network was busted with the support of the CCB Narcotics Control Squad and police stations of Bagaluru, Adugodi, Chikkajala, HSR Layout, Yeshwanthpur, Jalahalli and Jnanabharathi.

Cases were registered in CCB, East Division and West Division police stations based on specific intelligence received on different dates, following which raids were conducted.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were procuring drugs at lower prices from foreign, interstate and local sources and selling them in Bengaluru at higher rates.

Police said college students and working professionals were among the main targets of the accused.