A 2013 controversial remark by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi faces a strong reply on Wednesday by BJP leader Navneet Rana after 11 years at an election campaign in Hyderabad.
What was Owaisi’s remark?
In a meeting a decade ago, Owaisi said ‘Police ko 15 minute hata do toh hum dikhayenge ki hum kya kar sakte hain’.
With this remark, he allegedly warned 100 crore Hindus that the community would demonstrate their power and “finish them” if the police were withdrawn for ’15 minutes’.
What was Rana’s reaction?
On May 8, while campaigning for Madhavi Latha -the BJP candidate for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency – Rana attacked Owaisi’s statement by saying, “I would like to tell him it would take us just 15 seconds if police were withdrawn or made to stand down. If you remove police for 15 seconds, you will not be able to understand where they came and where they went (kahan se aaya aur kahan ko gaya)”, she said.
Rana’s video clip making the statement has been posted on her X handle.
15 सेकंद लगेगा @AkbarOwaisi_MIM @asadowaisi pic.twitter.com/TfEmWhvArX
— Navnit Ravi Rana (Modi Ka Parivar) (@navneetravirana) May 8, 2024
She further said, “Madhavi Latha will stop Hyderabad from turning into Pakistan and work for the development of Hyderabad through Parliament”. “If you vote for AIMIM and Congress, it goes directly to Pakistan”, she added.
About Hyderabad’s Lok Sabha constituency
The Owaisi’s from AIMIM have dominance over the Hyderabad constituency.
Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM chief, has held the sea since 2004. Before him, his father, Sultan Owaisi, had held the seat since 1984.
This year, the BJP fielded Madhavi Latha, its first female candidate from the Hyderabad constituency. Latha faces a strong competitor, Owaisi, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The statement made by Rana during the campaign attacked the Owaisi brothers (Asaduddin and Akbaruddin).
Reaction of AIMIM
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said they were “ready”, and if someone makes an open call for it, then so be it.
“I tell Modi ji – give her 15 seconds. What will you do?… Give her 15 seconds, give her one hour. We too, want to see if you have any humanity left in you. Who is scared? We are ready…If someone is making an open call for it, then so be it…PM is yours, RSS is yours, everything is yours. Do it. Who is stopping you…Tell us where we have to come, and we will be there. Do it.”
AIMIM leader Waris Pathan called upon the police stating, “Why have they not taken any action against her”. Additionally, he also questioned the election commission for not taking cognisance of this with strict action.
He further added that she (Rana) has understood that she is badly losing from the Amravati seat this time.
Who is Navneet Rana?
Rana is an MP Navneet Rana from Amravati, Maharashtra. In 2019, she contested as an independent candidate and won the election. However, for the fresh term in the Lok Sabha from Amravati, she will contest on a BJP ticket.
She is most famous for the 2022 Hanuman Chalisa row, in which she and her husband, MLA Ravi Rana, were arrested and booked for allegedly promoting enmity among different groups.
On May 13, the voting for all 17 seats in Telangana will be conducted in the fourth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
