New Delhi, Feb 21 A day after pro-Pakistan slogans were alleged raised at Asaduddin Owaisi's anti-CAA rally in Bengaluru and his party member Waris Pathan made communal statements, BJP called the AIMIM chief the "leader" of the nationwide protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act.
"Today we have brought an example of the kind of hate politics that some people are doing in the whole country in protest against CAA. If there's any so-called leader of these protests that are happening in the country, then it is Asaduddin Owaisi and the AIMIM party," alleged BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.
He added that slogans of "Pakistan Zindabad" were raised on Thursday from a platform where Owaisi was present. "When the same is taught backstage, sometimes reality comes out ahead of the stage as well. When they talk of giving oxygen to Pakistan behind the stage and drama of upholding the Constitution and the tricolour on the stage are enacted, then often the reality comes out of the mouth," charged Patra.
On Thursday a young woman was seen seemingly chanting pro-Pakistan slogans following which the AIMIM leader tried to stop her. The incident took place at an anti-CAA event in Bengaluru.
Soon, Patra trained his guns on another target - AIMIM member Waris Pathan who created a storm with his communal rant on Thursday.
"Owaisi's senior party leader Waris Pathan says that they will snatch away independence. I want to ask these so-called liberals, what independence and from whom?," asked the BJP leader.
In a no-holds-barred attack on the supposed silence from civil society, Patra alleged, "Owaisi's party has said that 15 crore will overshadow 100 crore. If a BJP leader had made such a statement, today all the so-called liberals would have hit the road, creating chaos in the whole country. But not a single one is coming up today, not a single question is being asked."
Earlier on Thursday in Bengaluru, Pathan can be heard purportedly saying, "We have to move together. We have to take Azadi (freedom), things that we don't get by asking, we have to take it by force, remember it."
"Now time has come, we are told that we have sent our mothers and sisters in the front and were sitting covered in blankets... Only our lionesses have come out till now and you are already sweating. Understand what will happen if we come together. (We may be) 15 crore, but are heavy on 100 (crore), remember it," Pathan is heard saying.
On Friday, Patra hit back at this blatant communalisation. Hitting out at anti-CAA protesters across India, Patra alleged, "All these people have the Constitution in their hands and Waris Pathan in their hearts, it has been hence proved."
Nationwide protests broke out after the government amended the Citizenship Act. Many in the Muslim community have alleged that it is discriminatory towards them.
( With inputs from IANS )