Hyderabad: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has expressed scepticism over the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism of killings in the name of cows and said mere statements will not have any impact on the ground.
Owaisi reacted to the Prime Minister’s speech in Ahmedabad Thursday in which he said the people cannot take law into their hands in the name of cows. Speaking to the media in Hyderabad Owaisi recalled that the PM had made a similar statement last year but did not have any impact.
“All this is nothing but lip-service because even after the first statement of the PM there was no impact. In fact lynchings, killings and assaults by ‘gau-rakhshaks’ increased”, he said.
“I hope I am wrong, but I don’t see any change happening on the ground”, he added.
Owaisi alleged that the cow vigilantes were getting direct and indirect support from the BJP and the Sangh Parivar organisations.
“Please remember as long as an animal gets higher premium on its life, human beings will have no value. Right now in our country an animal has more respect and right to life than some people. In the process the people, the Indians are suffering”.
Questioning why almost all cases of lynchings in the name of cows were occurring in states ruled by the BJP, Owaisi said, “this is happening because BJP and Sangh Parivar are indulging in appeasement of ‘gau-rakhshaks’. So long as this appeasement continues nothing will change”.
He said in BJP-ruled Rajasthan three accused in Pehlu Khan murder case were not yet arrested. In Ballabgarh murder case of Hafiz Junaid an accused was arrested the next day but he was not taken into police custody but remanded to judicial custody.
Urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk, he said the BJP as a party in power should change its mindset.
Owaisi alleged that as the BJP had failed in keeping its promises of one crore [10 million] employment per year and revival of economy and also failed in bringing back normality and sense of governance in Kashmir it was falling back on old and convenient issues like cow protection and ‘gau-rakshaks’.
