Fixed match between Owaisi and Andhra Govt., alleges BJP
New Delhi, Jan 8 (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Balbir Punj on Tuesday hit out at the Andhra Pradesh Government for allegedly failing to take prompt action over the "hate speech" of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi.
"Somewhere, the Andhra Pradesh Government and the Owaisi clan, they are mixed up. It is a fixed match," Punj said.
"Owaisi has made a highly criminal and an anti-national speech. Any serious government would arrest right at the time he stepped out of aircraft and would not have allowed the crowd there," he added.
Punj had earlier said that Owaisi's hate speech was a dangerous trend.
"Political parties, who claim to be secular, did not speak up. When Owaisi gave the hate speech, the people present there were clapping and cheering for him. This is a dangerous trend," he said.
"What is more worrying is that Owaisi represents a pre-partition mind set, which resulted in the partition of the country and the creation of Pakistan, and when you are making such speeches in which there was utter contempt for Hinduism, the constitution of the country, the country has a whole, at that time, a crowd running into thousands of people and endorsing its point of view through repeated applause, people like Owaisi, they are able to get away with what they do because of a silence on the part of media and also because of the silent endorsement from people who proclaim themselves as secularists" he added.
Owaisi has currently been taken to a hospital where government doctors will determine whether he is physically fit for questioning by Andhra Pradesh Police in connection with a "hate speech" case for which he has been booked.
Owaisi, who returned from London early Monday, sought four days' time to appear before the police, citing ill-health. Owaisi also filed a writ petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court asking for a stay on his arrest and on filing of more FIRs on similar grounds.
The police on Monday evening also went to his residence to question him over his alleged hate speech.
Andhra Police have ordered his medical tests to be conducted on Tuesday after he evaded arrest, citing health concerns.
He was directed by the court to appear before the police in Adilabad and Nizamabad Districts on January 7 and January 8 respectively.
The FIRs were registered suo moto at Adilabad and Nizamabad districts after the legislator had allegedly used inflammatory and derogatory language against a particular community during his public speeches last month.
The notices issued under Section 41(A) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) were pasted outside the residence of Akbaruddin in Banjara Hills here, as he is reportedly in London for treatment.
The MLA from Chandrayangutta here has been booked under IPC Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).
He has also been booked under IPC Section 121 (waging or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India).