All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and MP Asaduddin Owaisi came under fire from the Bharatiya Janata Party for calling the murderers of Atiq Ahmed “Godse.”
Responding to the statement, BJP’s Shalabh Mani Tripathi charged, “I can’t comment on the killers but look at the comparison made by Owaisi. He is directly equating Atiq Ahmed with Gandhi. He (Atiq Ahmed) was made a member of parliament by the Samajwadi Party. His wife (Shaista Parveen) was put forth as a candidate by the Bahujan Samaj Party. Imran Pratapgarhi of the Congress compares him (Atiq Ahmed) to God.”
By comparing Atiq Ahmed's killers with Godse, Owaisi is simply trying to portray Atiq as Gandhi ji: @shalabhmani
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) April 21, 2023
"Where are we headed as a nation? People like Owaisi, Congress etc. are depicting mafia in a good light," @SwamyChakrapani tells Siddhartha Talya. pic.twitter.com/WH28XlKF3a
The BJP MLA accused the opposition of siding with the criminals. “Their (the opposition) politics of gangster worship are being observed by the entire nation. Congress, SP, and BSP have always supported the mafia. Owaisi wants to polarise elections. He made the same effort during the last UP elections, but he was unsuccessful. He lost deposits on all his seats. The people of UP and India will once more provide him with a befitting reply in the upcoming elections,” he proclaimed.
Swami Chakrapani, a politician and leader of a breakaway faction of the Hindu Mahasabha, also commented on the issue. He noted, “This is terribly regrettable. Asaduddin Owaisi sees Godse in everything. Violence is never acceptable, under any circumstances. The constitution governs the nation, thus protests must be conducted in accordance with it. However, criminals are being celebrated, and Congress officials are calling for Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed, who were recently assassinated, to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, the status of martyr, and the national flag (wrapped around their dead bodies).”
“Where is this country headed,” he asked. “Now, Owaisi has dragged Godse and Gandhi into this. It is quite unfortunate that this polarisation trend has permeated politics. It breeds animosity between Hindus and Muslims, which Owaisi and Congress exploit for their political gains. Instead of concentrating on how criminals should be punished, their entire focus is on playing politics over the matter,” he noted.
“They are illegal offspring of Godse because he also used bullets to kill Gandhi,” claimed Asaduddin Owaisi while addressing a gathering. “They idolise him. These three people (who shot down Atiq Ahmed) are part of a terror cell. I have serious questions about how many people have been given weapons, training, and orders to fulfil God’s dream,” he alleged.
Godse ki Najayaz Aulaad !! Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief @asadowaisi allege #AteekAhmad killers are part of a larger terror conspiracy, draw a similarity between those who fired bullets on his car during #UttarPradesh polls and men behind the #Prayagraj shootout. pic.twitter.com/3apIEXJS0Q
— Ashish (@KP_Aashish) April 21, 2023
This came after Rajkumar Singh, also known as Rajju Bhaiya, a Congressman from Uttar Pradesh sought the Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian honour) for the murdered mafia. He also stated that the latter’s deceased body should have been covered with the Indian tricolour. Rajkumar Singh is a candidate for the councillor seat from Ward-43 South Malaka in the next Prayagraj municipal election.
Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead on 15 April by three people, Sunny Singh, Lovelesh Tiwari and Arun Maurya, who immediately surrendered afterwards and were taken into custody by the police present at the spot.
