Godse's followers might kill me for stand on Art 370: Asaduddin Owaisi
Hyderabad, Aug 14: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said he might be killed by the followers of Nathuram Godse, who shot Mahatma Gandhi dead, since he was against the recent decision of the Centre to abrogate the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir, which gave a special status to the state.
He also alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted to change Kashmir's demography through delimitation of Assembly constituencies to have its own chief minister.
Asked about the allegations that comments made by politicians like him helped Pakistan's propaganda, Owaisi told reporters here that such charges (against him) were not new.
"My belief is that somebody would shoot me one day. The followers of Godse can do so with me...If Mahatma Gandhi was shot, who is Owaisi. As long as I am alive, allegations would continue to be made," he said, while asserting that he had nothing to do with Pakistan.
Asked if he thought delimitation would happen in Kashmir, the Hyderabad MP said, "They want to do it. That is what the Election Commission said. The whole idea is to change the demography of Kashmir. The whole idea is to have a non-Muslim chief minister from the BJP only."
"That is why, this is a step in changing the demography of that state and that is why it has been bifurcated," he added and asserted that Kashmir was an integral part of India and would remain so.
Owaisi alleged that the BJP had love for Kashmir, but not for Kashmiris.
When pointed out that the conditions prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir were special, he said the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 19 and other articles of the Constitution could not be taken away.
"This government has forgotten constitutionalism," he said.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief also claimed that the government would remove certain special provisions in states like Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Himachal Pradesh.
"I am telling the people of Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam that it will happen there. These people would remove (special provisions) in Himachal also...," he said.
On the BJP raising the issue of the day of merger of the erstwhile Hyderabad state of the Nizam with the Indian Union (September 17, 1948) not being celebrated officially, Owaisi said he felt proud that Hyderabad became part of the Indian Union.
"About 10 lakh jobs would be lost in the automobile industry, but the 'liberation day' is being talked about," he said.
Addressing an Eid Milap meeting at his party office late on Tuesday, Owaisi said the government's decision to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh -- was against the principles of federalism as the state Assembly's views should have been taken before implementing such a decision.
Referring to actor Rajinikanth's comments lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah as Lord Krishna and Arjuna, he said, "Who are the Pandavas in this? Who are the Kauravas? So you would like to make Kashmir the Mahabharata? One actor has said, the other actors are happy. Feel happy."
The Congress in Tamil Nadu had also ridiculed Rajinikanth for his comments, asking him to "read the Mahabharata properly".
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Criticism of PM Modi, repeated mentions of guarantees to be highlights of K’taka Budget: LoP Ashoka
Bengaluru (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Thursday took a dig at CM Siddaramaiah ahead of the state Budget presentation, claiming that the government is expected to borrow Rs 1.15 lakh crore and is likely to impose fresh taxes on the people.
He said the Budget would have nothing new, adding that its highlights would be criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and repeated mentions of the five guarantee schemes ('Shakti', 'Gruha Lakshmi', 'Gruha Jyoti, 'Yuva Nidhi' and 'Anna Bhagya').
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the 2026–27 Budget on March 6. This will be his record 17th budget.
“Siddaramaiah-led Congress government’s budget will be presented tomorrow. While Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reduced the tax burden in the Union Budget, Siddaramaiah is known for imposing taxes on people. He imposes about four taxes a month and has already introduced 36 taxes, and is now looking for ways to impose more,” Ashoka said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the Congress had promised people before coming to power that the guarantee schemes would be implemented without imposing any burden on them.
“By the end of the chief minister’s term, the state’s total debt will probably exceed Rs 6 lakh crore. The government has already breached financial discipline. Siddaramaiah and his government are somehow managing the situation,” Ashoka claimed, adding that his borrowings as CM equal those of 12 or 13 former chief ministers combined.
Stating that the Budget should create higher revenue sources, ensure that no burden is placed on people, and take the state away from debt, the opposition leader said this could be ensured only by a “clever and intelligent finance minister.”
“Anyone can run a government by pushing the state into debt,” he said, accusing Siddaramaiah of “increasing the state’s debt and failing to meet the expectations of the people.”
Highlighting that Siddaramaiah blames the previous BJP government for everything, Ashoka said Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister during the previous BJP government, had presented a “surplus budget,” without excessive borrowings.
“Despite having the opportunity to borrow more while staying within the parameters of financial discipline, he (Bommai) did not do so, as it would burden the people,” he said, accusing Siddaramaiah of borrowing crores of rupees every year.
“I feel that this time too, he will take a loan of Rs 1.15 lakh crore,” he claimed.
The BJP leader said he had written to the CM requesting an allocation of Rs 15,000 crore annually for the development of backward taluks, as recommended by the High Power Committee on Redressal of Regional Imbalance (HPCRRI), chaired by economist Prof M Govinda Rao.
Claiming that the government appears “inactive” due to internal rifts, Ashoka pointed to an ongoing power struggle between factions led by Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over the CM’s post.
“Amid all this, we cannot expect anything new from this Budget. The CM will repeatedly speak about the guarantee schemes and target the central government and PM Modi. Criticising Modi and repeated mentions of the five guarantee schemes will be the highlight of this Budget. Other than that, there will be nothing new,” he added.
He also dismissed the CM's claim that the government had achieved 90 per cent of the promises made in the previous Budget. “The fact is that not even 9 per cent has been achieved. I have evidence for it,” he said.
Ashoka further alleged that the government had also failed in tax collection, achieving only 48 per cent of the target, and had released less than 40 per cent of the allocated funds to some departments.
