Prime Minister Narendra Modi should ask his "childhood friend Abbas" if suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma's remarks on Prophet Muhammad are objectionable or not, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has said.
Mr Owaisi's fresh attack on the Prime Minister comes a week after Ms Sharma's remarks kicked up a political storm and sparked a wave of protest across the country.
In a blog post written to mark his mother Heeraben Modi's 99th birthday, the Prime Minister recalled his memories with Abbas.
"A close friend of my father used to stay in a nearby village. After his untimely death, my father brought his friend's son, Abbas, to our home. He stayed with us and completed his studies. Mother was as affectionate and caring towards Abbas just like she did for all of us siblings. Every year on Eid, she used to prepare his favourite dishes," he wrote.
In a scathing retort, Mr Owaisi said, "The Prime Minister remembered his friend after eight years. We did not know you had this friend. We appeal to the Prime Minister, please call Mr Abbas -- if he is there --and make him listen to the speeches of Asaduddin Owaisi and Ulemas (religious leaders) and ask him if we are lying."
"If you share the address, I will go to Abbas. I will ask him if what Nupur Sharma said about Prophet Muhammad is objectionable or not. And he will agree that she spoke rubbish," the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief said.
"You remembered your friend. It's also possible that it is a story, how do I know! He had also promised 'acche din', they have come," Mr Owaisi added.
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