Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday criticised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his remarks comparing the situation in Bangladesh to events surrounding Ayodhya and Sambhal during Mughal ruler Babur’s reign.
Mr. Owaisi, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), described Mr. Adityanath’s statements as “absurd” and stated that minorities in any part of the world should not be persecuted. While pointing out that Muslims of India have nothing to do with the events unfolding in Bangladesh, he sought to know whether the UP CM was implying Indian Muslims should be treated as hostages.
“No minorities anywhere should be persecuted. But what does the mistreatment of Bangladeshi Hindus have to do with Indian Muslims? Or is he implying that Muslims here should be treated as hostages?” he wrote, questioning why Sheikh Hasina, the former Bangladeshi Prime Minister, was hosted in India if the Chief Minister was so concerned about Bangladesh’s internal issues.
Mr. Owaisi sought to refute Mr. Adityanath’s claims about religious structures. Referring to the Babri Masjid, he stated, “The Supreme Court itself accepted that there is no evidence that Babri Masjid was built by demolishing a temple.” On Sambhal Jama Masjid, he highlighted that the matter had been settled in the late 19th century, with courts then affirming the mosque’s status.
Criticising what he termed a politically motivated agenda, Mr. Owaisi, who is the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president, alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was “sponsoring” moves to turn mosques into temples. He also raised concerns over attempts to influence cases pending before the courts.
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