Owaisi says hijab-clad woman will be India’s PM one day, BJP lashes out

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said that one day India will have a hijab-clad woman as its Prime Minister, unlike in Pakistan, the Indian Constitution accords equal status to people from all communities, adding that in the neighbouring country, members of only one religion can occupy the top constitutional posts.

The remarks drew a scathing response from the BJP, which accused the Hyderabad MP of making an "irresponsible" statement through which he was presenting only half-truth, as Muslim women were against the practice of wearing hijab.

‘Any Indian citizen can become PM’

"The Constitution of Pakistan says that only a person belonging to one religion can become the country's prime minister or the president. But the Constitution, written by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, clearly states that any citizen can become the prime minister, the chief minister of a state or even a mayor,” said Owaisi on Friday during an election rally in Maharashtra's Solapur ahead of the January 15 civic polls.

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"By the grace of Almighty, the day will come when neither I nor the present generation will be around, but a daughter wearing a hijab would become the prime minister of India," he added.

Dig at BJP

The AIMIM chief further stated that he was confident that the day would definitely come, adding “the hate you are spreading against Muslims will not last long," in a swipe at the BJP.

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Owaisi, in his address during the poll rally, also appealed to local people not to vote for the candidates fielded by the parties of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) and Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena) and Ajit Pawar (NCP), or those backed by them.

Slams Mahayuti alliance

Referring to the ongoing debate over who will become the mayor of Mumbai, with the BJP asserting that the next first citizen of the state capital would be a Marathi and a Hindu, Owaisi said such discussions surface only during elections.

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He alleged that Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar were misleading people, and urged voters to give them a "befitting reply" in the polls.

"We will not become victims of your conspiracy," he said.

He also accused the ruling parties of not running the government as per the Constitution.

"The foundation of their rule is hatred. They claim to be friends of minorities and Dalits, but they are not. They are also not doing anything for farmers," Owaisi alleged.

BJP hits back

Reacting to it, BJP MP Anil Bonde said Owaisi was making irresponsible statements and accused him of presenting only half-truths.

Claiming that Muslim women were against wearing hijab as nobody wanted subjugation, he said women in Iran were protesting against this practice.

He alleged that demographic imbalance was rising in India, and urged Hindus to unite.

(With agency inputs)