Hyderabad

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, on Saturday, criticised the BRS government for initiating the Musi clean-up project, and ignoring his opposition to it. He said that the party should introspect and try to be consistent.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, the AIMIM president accused the BRS of taking up the project without considering the objections raised by AIMIM.

In response to allegations that AIMIM was cosying up to the Congress, Mr. Owaisi stated that it was on account of AIMIM’s support that the BRS managed to secure victories in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) region during the last Assembly elections.

He said that BRS lost due to its ‘arrogance’, and decision to repeat nearly 24 candidates in the Assembly elections.

However, he added that the Congress government should ensure no houses were affected due to the project.

On delimitation exercise, he reacted to the recent statements made by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. Mr. Owaisi said that the comments stemmed out of the falling fertility rate, leading to reduction in population in South India.

Delimitation based on population, Mr. Owaisi said, would disproportionately impact South Indian states. “Assembly seats will decrease. Parliamentary seats would decrease,” he said, adding that instead of rewarding the region for controlling population growth, its representation in Parliament would shrink.

Touching upon the policy of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) regarding the appointment of only Hindu staff, he stated that he had no objection to the practice, asserting that it is a religious matter to be handled by that community. However, he drew a contrast with the Union government’s approach, criticising the Modi administration for its proposals in the form of the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, inducting non-Muslims into the state Waqf boards and the Central Waqf Council. He expressed strong opposition to the Bill, calling it a violation of constitutional rights.

“Our foundational argument is that it is a grave violation of Article 26 of the Constitution,” Mr. Owaisi said, referring to the constitutional provision protecting the right to manage religious institutions.

Mr. Owaisi stated that the Union government wants to take away waqf lands and properties by way of the Bill. The raised serious concerns over the omission of waqf-by-user, arguing that 99% of waqf properties in Uttar Pradesh are waqf-by-user in nature.