Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, the chief of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), has strongly countered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent speech in Rajasthan, accusing him of stereotyping Muslims.
Addressing an election rally in Bihar’s Purnea district, Owaisi refuted Modi’s claims that Muslims in India have more children compared to other religious groups.
“Modi said Muslims have more children. That is a lie. The fertility rate has declined in the community and, according to official data, it is 2.36 per cent. Though, admittedly, the fertility rate is lower among our Hindu brethren,” Owaisi stated at the rally.
Owaisi further alleged that Modi’s speech in Banswara, Rajasthan, was intended to create divisions within Indian society.
“Going by Modi’s logic, the southern states may start agitating over having fewer MPs in Parliament, just because population growth is less rapid there. These states contribute more to the GDP than the north,” Owaisi said.
The AIMIM chief also condemned the use of the word “ghuspaithiye” (infiltrators) by the PM, calling it an “insult” to the people living in the Seemanchal region of Bihar, which is close to Bangladesh and Nepal.
“In Parliament, the government has repeatedly failed to furnish data on illegal immigrants,” Owaisi added.
Owaisi also remarked that Modi engages in dog-whistling against Muslims in India while maintaining warm and friendly relations with his counterparts in Muslim-majority countries like Dubai.
The AIMIM has declared that it will contest over a dozen seats in Bihar. Its state unit chief and MLA Akhtarul Iman is in the fray from the Muslim-majority Kishanganj constituency, parts of which fall in Purnea.
