Asaduddin Owaisi Blames Taj Mahal For Petrol Price Hike. Here's Why

If Shahjahan did not get the Taj Mahal built, petrol would cost Rs 40 per litre today, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has said in a sarcastic attack on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Accusing the ruling party of blaming Mughals and Muslims for all the problems ailing the country, Mr Owaisi said at a public meeting, "The youngsters in the country are unemployed, inflation is soaring, diesel is selling at Rs 102 per litre, indeed Aurangzeb is responsible for all this, not (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi. Emperor Akbar is responsible for joblessness. Petrol is selling at Rs 104 per litre, Rs 115, the one who got the Taj Mahal built is responsible."

"If he had not commissioned the Taj Mahal, petrol would sell at Rs 40 today. Mr Prime Minister, I accept that he (Shahjahan) made a mistake by getting the Taj Mahal and Red Fort built. He should have saved that money and handed it over to Modi ji in 2014. On every issue, they say Muslims are responsible, Mughals are responsible," the president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen said in the address, a video of which was shared on his Twitter profile. 

"Did only Mughals rule India? Ashoka did not? Chandragupta Maurya did not? But BJP can only see the Mughals. They see Mughals in one eye, Pakistan in the other," he said.

Mr Owaisi said India's Muslims have nothing to do with Mughals or Pakistan. "We rejected (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah's proposal and will celebrate the 75th year of Independence this year. The 20 crore Muslims in this country are witness to the fact that their forefathers rejected Jinnah's proposal and stayed in India," he said.

"India is our beloved country. We won't leave India. No matter how many slogans you raise, asking us to leave. We will live here and die here," Mr Owaisi added.