New Delhi:
On April 24, two days after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP took to X to protest against being left out of the all-party meeting the Centre called to brief all parties on its plans to respond to the heinous act of terror that left 26 innocents dead.
He said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had told him that the Centre planned to invite only parties with at least five MPs for the meeting. “This is not a BJP’s or another party’s internal meeting, it is an all party meeting to send a strong and united message against terrorism & those countries that harbour terrorists. Whether it is a party with 1 MP or a 100, they were both elected by Indians and deserve to be heard on such an important matter. This is not a political issue, it is a national issue. Everyone must be heard,” he said, urging the Prime Minister to invite parties with even one MP. Mr Owaisi is AIMIM’s lone MP.
Hours after his post, the Hyderabad MP said Home Minister Amit Shah had called him and asked him to join the meeting. Accordingly, Mr Owaisi attended the all-party meeting and put forward his views.
Cut to May 17, Asaduddin Owaisi is part of one of the seven Indian delegations that would travel abroad to expose Pakistan’s link to terrorism and put forward the Indian position in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. Mr Owaisi, despite being the only MP from his party and among the key voices critical of the government, will be representing India on this big outreach.
Behind this three-week turnaround is Mr Owaisi’s articulation of the Indian position, his apt responses to Pakistan leaders’ provocative remarks and his clear message that while he may differ with the government on domestic issues, he was firmly with his nation in national security matters. His messages of unity during crisis have endeared him to even his harshest critics and shattered the hardliner image painted by his political rivals. Politically, Mr Owaisi has been a loner. The AIMIM’s attempts to expand outside Hyderabad have been largely unsuccessful. Major parties have shied away from forming alliances with AIMIM, despite Mr Owaisi’s stature as a sharp and articulate parliamentarian. While the BJP has tried to paint him as a radical, the Opposition has claimed he is the BJP’s ‘B-team’.
But in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, the five-time MP has won hearts, even those of right-wing hardliners who earlier criticised him.
Shortly after the terror attack, he was seen distributing black armbands before Friday prayers at a mosque. In Pahalgam, terrorists asked the victims their religion before shooting them in cold blood. In the aftermath of the tragedy, when some forces tried to foment communal sentiments by projecting the terror strike as a Hindu-Muslim issue, Mr Owaisi’s unequivocal statements as a Muslim leader foiled such attempts.
In the wake of the terror attack, he called for exemplary action against Pakistan. Addressing Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir, Mr Owaisi said Indian Muslims decided to stay back during the Partition in 1947. “I want to tell him that we decided in 1947 that we won’t leave India, we rejected (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah’s message. India was our land, it is our land and Inshallah, will remain our land. Those speaking nonsense in Pakistan, I want to tell them you don’t know Islam, you are deprived of its teachings,” he said.
He called Pakistan a “failed nation” and said acts of terror were against Islam. “Remember, if you enter a country and kill innocents, no country will stay silent, no matter who is in power. The way you attacked our country, the way people were asked their religion and shot, what religion are you talking about? You are worse than Khawarij (an Islamic sect considered deviant). You are ISIS sympathisers,” he said.
During an interview with NDTV, Mr Owaisi said he was not saying anything to seek validation or a certificate from anyone. “This is from within. This is the love for the nation taught by my parents. I am not doing anything great. When will we express our emotions if not at times like this? Should I keep quiet because the victims are Hindus? They are humans,” he said. “If something is happening in our country, how will I stay silent as an MP, a human being, a father?”