Hyderabad. Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Sunday hit back at All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi. Owaisi, while criticizing him, accused Kumar of suffering from the “disease of Islamophobia”. In response, Kumar questioned Owaisi, “Is he not suffering from Hinduphobia.” Taking objection to Kumar’s alleged comment that madrasas are training their students to use AK-47 rifles, Owaisi, while addressing a gathering here last week, had questioned why Kumar has so much hatred for Muslims. Owaisi said, “You (Sanjay Kumar) have the disease of Islamophobia.”
Reacting to AIMIM chief Owaisi’s remarks, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kumar told reporters in Karimnagar (in Telangana), “Is it not true that weapons were found in a madrassa in Uttar Pradesh?” The Union minister cited several instances while accusing Owaisi of being “suffering from Hinduphobia” in a post on ‘X’.
Citing alleged remarks made by Asaduddin Owaisi’s younger brother and MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi in 2012, Kumar said, “If this is not Hindu phobia, then what is it? A teacher in Owaisi’s college was found leading Hizb-ut-Tahrir. Tell me, what kind of phobia are we dealing with here? When Owaisi says, ‘Give us 15 minutes to wipe out Hindus,’ what ‘phobia’ is he exposing?” He said that he dreams of developing the old city (in Hyderabad) as a new city and alleged that it is stuck because of Owaisi. Kumar claimed that even his (Owaisi’s) own community has started speaking the truth. The BJP leader also accused Owaisi of turning the old city into a stronghold of Rohingya and terrorist elements.
Kumar asked, “They say we need to take their permission to enter the old city. Owaisi has turned the old city into a stronghold of Rohingya and terrorist elements. Whose permission did these elements take?” The Union Minister asked, “You call yourself secular, but where is the same enthusiasm for Ganesh Chaturthi or Diwali or Durga Puja?” Responding to a question on the allegations of using adulterated ghee in making Tirupati laddu, the Union Minister said that this has hurt the sentiments of the people and the Andhra Pradesh government should investigate the allegations thoroughly.