After a highly controversial UK tour, Rahul Gandhi is currently on a tour of the USA, and he has already made several controversial, anti-India remarks in his speeches there. Speaking in California, Rahul Gandhi on 31 May claimed that minorities like Muslims and Sikhs are under attack in India.
Answering a question from the ‘Bay Area Muslim community’ over alleged ‘threats to Muslims’ in India after his speech in Santa Clara in California, Rahul Gandhi said that Muslims and other minorities are feeling attacked in India. He said that it is “felt most strongly by the Muslim community because it is done most directly to them. But in fact, it is being done to all minorities.”
He then added, ‘The way Muslims are feeling attacked, I can guarantee Sikhs, Christians, Dalits and Tribals are feeling the same. What is happening to Muslims in India today happened to Dalits in the 1980s’.
However, the comments of Rahul Gandhi didn’t go well with Asaduddin Owaisi, the President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, who is a self-appointed guardian of Muslim rights in India. He slammed Rahul Gandhi by saying that several anti-Muslim and anti-Minority riots took place under Congress regimes at the centre and at various states.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s comments, Owaisi said that Rahul Gandhi’s answer to the question was completely meaningless and out of context. He said that it is like saying that the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from parliament is not correct, but if it happens with someone else, that will be correct. Elaborating this, he said, ‘You were asked a question about Muslims in India, and you answered that Dalits and Sikhs also faced the same in 1980s. Rahul Gandhi does not know that in 1980s, when the UP govt was theirs, Hashimpura, Maliana massacres took place.’
On May 22, 1987, UP Police had picked up 50 Muslim men from Hashimpura, near Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, after days of communal riots in the town. The Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (UP-PAC) took them to the Upper Ganga Canal in a truck, and there they shot them, killing 42 of them. The bodies were tossed into the water. At that time, Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister, and UP was also ruled by Congress under CM Vir Bahadur Singh.
He then went on to list how ‘Congress government was in power in 1980s when Delhi massacre happened, 400 Muslims were killed in police firing in Moradabad under Congress govt, his party was in power when anti-Sikh pogrom took place in 1980s.’
The Moradabad incident took place on 13 August 1980, when Muslims were celebrating Eid. The police and Provincial Armed Constabulary opened fire on the Moradabad Eidgah where around 40,000 Muslims had gathered to offer prayers. Over 300 people were killed in the firing. Congress was in power in the state with VP Singh as the CM, while Indira Gandhi was the PM. Notably, Congress was able to plant fake news in the media claiming that it was a retaliatory action after Muslims attacked security forces, which was found to be false.
Owaisi said, ‘you should say what is happening to Muslims, not what happened in 1980s’. He then slammed Rahul Gandhi over several cases where Muslims were victims of crimes that took place in Congress-ruled states. He said that Congress is ruling Rajasthan where Junaid & Naseer were killed, and till now several accused are not nabbed. Owaisi added that Congress-sponsored dharm sansads are also being organised in Chhattisgarh.
