Akbaruddin Owaisi, the brother of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has drawn ire for visiting the tomb of the barbaric and bigoted Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, during his visit to Aurangabad, Maharashtra on Thursday, May 12. The AIMIM controversial leader had come to Aurangabad to lay the foundation stone of the School of Excellence.
Maharashtra | AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi visited the tomb of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the Khuldabad area of Aurangabad district yesterday pic.twitter.com/ma2IiJ7pMF
— ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2022
During his visit, Akbaruddin Owaisi visited Aurangzeb’s tomb in Khuldabad and offered flowers. He was accompanied by Aurangabad MP Imtiyaz Jaleel and former MLA Waris Pathan.
Akbaruddin’s visit to Aurangzeb’s tomb kicked up a political storm. Reacting to this, former MP and Shiv Sena leader Chandrakant Khaire alleged that Owaisi was trying to create a political controversy. “No one, neither a Hindu nor a Muslim, visits the tomb as Aurangzeb was the cruellest Mughal emperor. But Owaisi and his party leaders are trying to create a controversy for political benefit,” Khaire said.
Gajanan Kale, an MNS leader from Navi Mumbai remarked that “the Maharashtra government should take action against Owaisi for visiting the tomb of Aurangzeb. If no action is taken, then the MNS will take the matter into its own hands.”
Owaisi was in the district just days after MNS chief Raj Thackeray led a public rally there demanding for loudspeakers to be removed from mosques.
Akbaruddin Owaisi compares the MNS chief Raj Thackeray to a ‘dog’
In a speech given in the city after his visit to Aurangzeb’s tomb, the AIMIM leader launched a scathing attack on the MNS chief for his demand for the removal of loudspeakers from mosques over the last few weeks. Akbaruddin Owaisi, without naming Raj Thackeray, went on to compare the MNS chief to a ‘dog’ and stated that those who have been evicted from their homes should be ignored.
AIMIM Floor Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi addressed a gathering on the occasion of foundation stone laying ceremony of Owaisi School of Excellence in Aurangabad, Maharashtra https://t.co/6Zz8VwW9kC
— AIMIM (@aimim_national) May 12, 2022
“Jo bhi kutta jaisa bhi bhonkta bhokne do. Shero ka kaam chup chaap chle jana hai” (the job of a dog is to bark, the lion must stay calm when a dog barks), said Akbaruddin Owaisi in an indirect reference to the MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
Owaisi further added, “I have not come here to answer anyone, nor to call anyone bad. I don’t want to answer anyone. I am an MP and you are homeless, you are missing, you have been evicted from your own house.”
Owaisi went on to remark that while there is talk of animosity in the country, he will reply with love rather than hatred. There have been talks of azaan in the country, as well as lynching and hijab, there should be no fear, instead, Muslims must unite.
Open provocation made by hate monger Akbaruddin Owaisi.. inflammatory speech in Aurangabad… paid tribute to HINDU HATER & DESTROYER OF MANDIRS – TERRORIST AURANGZEB !
— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) May 13, 2022
But Shiv Sena is under such pressure of Congress & NCP it can book people for Hanuman Chalisa not AKBAR Owaisi pic.twitter.com/irO48JR8l7
Reacting sharply to Owaisi’s visit to Aurangzeb’s tomb and his subsequent hate speech, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed the Shiv Sena party in Maharashtra for abandoning Hindutva after embracing Congress and the NCP. “Open provocation made by hate-monger Akbaruddin Owaisi.. inflammatory speech in Aurangabad… paid tribute to HINDU HATER & DESTROYER OF MANDIRS – TERRORIST AURANGZEB! But Shiv Sena is under such pressure of Congress & NCP it can book people for Hanuman Chalisa, not AKBAR Owaisi,” Tweeted the BJP spokesperson.
Notably, Akbaruddin Owaisi, the brother of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has a habit of spewing hate rhetoric. He had in 2012, made a highly inflammatory speech while addressing a public meeting where he asked police to be removed for 15 minutes so that he could finish off 100 crores Hindus. While addressing a crowd in Nirmal, Akbaruddin Owaisi resorted to fear-mongering and attempted to incite violence against Hindus by raking up the issues of alleged lynchings against minorities. He had also abused the Hindu deities and blatantly mocked Hindus for worshipping them.
Taking a jibe at India’s Prime Minister, he had compared PM Modi to terrorist Ajmal Kasab and had said that he should be hanged to death. He had instigated the Muslim crowd and had said that if all the Muslims from all over the country unite, then this country will be ruled by a Muslim and then the death of PM Modi would be confirmed.
Further in 2019, he blatantly repeated his ’15 minutes’ threat and challenged the RSS and the Bajrang Dal.
It is pertinent to note that a total of 41 witnesses were examined in the Nizamabad case while 33 people were examined in the Nirmal case. Owaisi was also arrested and subsequently released on bail.
Last month, the special sessions court for MP and MLAs at Nampally metropolitan courts in Hyderabad acquitted AIMIM controversial leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in decade-old hate speech cases and directed him not to make any controversial speeches in future, keeping in view the national integrity.
