"You are a Minister of the Indian Republic, not a monarch": AIMIM chief Owaisi targets Kiren Rijiju over his claims of minority welfare under Union Government

India Gazette

a day ago

New Delhi [India], July 7 (ANI): All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi targeted Union Minister Kiren Rijiju while replying to his 'X' post, mentioning his newspaper article related to minority welfare in India.
Calling out Kiren Rijiju a 'minister' of the 'Indian republic' rather than a 'monarch', the AIMIM chief stated 'minority rights' are 'fundamental' rather than being a 'charity'.
Asaduddin Owaisi asked whether is it a 'benefit' to be called 'Pakistani, Bangladeshi, jihadi, or Rohingya' everyday. He queried whether is 'protection' that Indian citizens are being 'kidnapped' and 'pushed' into Bangladesh.
'You are a Minister of the Indian Republic, not a monarch. Kiren Rijiju you hold a constitutional post, not a throne. Minority rights are fundamental rights, not charity. Is it a 'benefit' to be called Pakistani, Bangladeshi, jihadi, or Rohingya every single day? Is it 'protection' to be lynched? Is it protection that Indian citizens were kidnapped and pushed into Bangladesh?' Owaisi wrote on 'X'.
Asaduddin Owaisi also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking whether it is an 'honour' to be the 'target' of his 'hate speech'. The AIMIM chief mentioned that the Indian minorities are not even 'second class citizens' but have turned into 'hostages'.
'Is it a privilege to watch our homes, masjids, and mazaars being bulldozed illegally? To be made socially, politically, and economically invisible? Is it an 'honour' to be the target of hate speeches from no less than the Prime Minister of India? India's minorities are not even second-class citizens anymore. We are hostages', the 'X' post said.
Owaisi asked Kiren Rijiju whether can 'Muslims' be inducted into 'Hindu Endowment Board' while mentioning about the Waqf Amendment Act which 'forces non-Muslims onto Waqf Boards'.
The AIMIM chief alleged that the Union Government discontinued the Maulana Azad National Fellowship and 'limited' the post-matric and merit-cum-means scholarships as they were 'Muslim' students.
'If you want to talk about 'favours', answer this: can Muslims be members of Hindu Endowment Boards? No. But your Waqf Amendment Act forces non-Muslims onto Waqf Boards -- and allows them to form a majority. You discontinued the Maulana Azad National Fellowship. You defunded the pre-matric scholarship. You limited the post-matric and merit-cum-means scholarships. All because they benefited Muslim students. Muslims are now the only group whose numbers have fallen in higher education. Their presence in the informal economy has gone up. They have been among the worst-hit by your economic policies. This is your own govt's data', he wrote on 'X'.
Owaisi stated that Indian Muslims are the only group whose children are now worse off than their parents or grandparents. He mentioned that they are not asking to be compared with other minorities of other countries but demand social, economic, and political justice.
'Indian Muslims are the only group whose children are now worse off than their parents or grandparents. Intergenerational mobility has reversed. Muslim-concentrated areas are the ones most starved of public infrastructure and basic services. We are not asking to be compared with other minorities of other countries. We are not asking for more than what the majority community gets. We are demanding what the Constitution promises: social, economic, and political justice', the 'X' post said. (ANI)