Owaisi critiques BJP’s nationalism amid calls for local development in Karimnagar

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi criticised Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar, questioning the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s nationalism claims over reduced Russian oil procurement, and said a vote for Bharat Rashtra Samithi would help the BJP.

Mr. Owaisi was addressing a public meeting in Karimnagar, where the party has fielded 15 candidates for the upcoming municipal elections. He said the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh must explain their silence after the USA reportedly warned of reimposing 25% ad valorem duty if India continued to buy Russian oil, directly or indirectly.

He sought to know where the BJP’s nationalism was when a “white-skinned” foreign leader was issuing threats over India’s sovereign economic decisions. He claimed that India had reduced Russian oil imports while China benefited by buying cheaper crude oil.

Turning to local issues, Mr. Owaisi said that despite Karimnagar being listed as a Smart City, basic infrastructure such as roads, drainage and electricity remained inadequate, with Muslim localities especially neglected. He also alleged that, at the behest of the local MLA, 25 houses were demolished overnight in the city.

Taking a dig at Karimnagar legislator Gangula Kamalakar, Mr.Owaisi said the latter had retained his Assembly seat earlier only because of the AIMIM’s support. He warned that after the elections, the legislator would gravitate towards the BJP and asserted that a vote for the BRS in Karimnagar would effectively aid the BJP. He appealed to voters not to back such candidates, describing it a waste of their mandate.

Mr.Owaisi also urged mosque committees and Muslim scholars to speak out against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. He alleged that the BJP intended to harass and disenfranchise Muslims not through the Citizenship Amendment Act, NRC or NPR, but through the SIR process.