"Flowers For Kanwariyas, Bulldozers For Us": A Owaisi Slams UP Government

Accusing Uttar Pradesh's BJP-led government of religious discrimination, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has said that while kanwariyas are greeted with aerial flower showers, Muslims suffer demolition of homes.

Speaking to the media outside parliament, he said, "You are using taxpayers' money to shower flowers from a helicopter. Very good. We are just saying, show some mercy on us too, treat us equally. If you are showering flowers on them, at least don't raze our homes," he said.

Mr Owaisi's remarks come after viral visuals showed Meerut's police chief and district magistrate shower flower petals on kanwariyas. Also, in Hapur, a police inspector was seen on camera applying pain-relief spray on the legs of a Kanwariya.

"Good that you are massaging their feet, but then you take a Muslim youth in Saharanpur and beat him. Do not discriminate. The Constitution does not allow it," he said.

Asked if he was referring to the row over namaz near Lucknow's Lulu Mall, Mr Owaisi replied, "We want to know, the ones who read namaz there, which God were they praying to by facing that direction? And they finished namaz in 18 seconds!"

Hitting back at the BJP's charge that his politics is "divisive", the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief said his politics is for equality.

Earlier, the Hyderabad MP shared news reports on kanwariyas on his Twitter handle and asked, "Traffic diversion for one religion and bulldozer action for another. Why?"

Countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "revdi culture" swipe, targeting Opposition parties for promising freebies, Mr Owaisi asked if the treatment of kanwariyas did not amount to "revdi culture".

"Is this not revri culture? If a Muslim reads namaz in the open for a few minutes, mayhem follows. Just for their religion, Muslims are facing bullets, custodial torture, NSA, UAPA, lynching and bulldozers," he said.