Asaduddin Owaisi's 'intellectual guts' dare to Amit Shah over Telangana UCC promise

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for promising to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in its Telangana manifesto, PTI reported.

He also said that the UCC is not required in the country and stressed upon the need for more freedom of speech and expression whereby people will not be targeted for their attire and religion. Follow Telangana election coverage here.

On November 18, the BJP promised to implement the UCC in Telangana if the party came to power in the state in the November 30 assembly elections.

Union Minister Amit Shah, who released BJP's manifesto for the assembly polls, said that if the BJP forms a government it would constitute a committee to implement the Uniform Civil Code in Telangana within six months.

On Monday, Owaisi alleged that the BJP “indulges in such things” instead of addressing the core issues relating to the development of the country.

Read | AIMIM president Owaisi criticizes Karnataka govt for banning head cover in exams

"As far as UCC is concerned, I wish and hope that Amit Shah goes to Adilabad, Khammam and Warangal and stands in the midst of all the Adivasis and tells them about the implementation of the UCC," Owaisi said, according to PTI. " He does not have the intellectual guts to go and say this thing, because the Adivasis will reject the BJP".

Further, the AIMIM said that the Adivasis have constitutional protection to protect their culture, adding that the UCC is not what is required.

"What is required in this country is more freedom of speech and expression wherein people will not be targeted for the clothes they wear or for the religion they belong to," he said. "For the past nine-and-a-half years, the BJP has been in power in our country (at the Centre). They have weakened the economy and destroyed small businesses. They have utterly failed in their promise of providing 2 crore jobs a year, and we have the highest unemployment of youth in the world. Instead of addressing these core issues relating to the development of the country, the BJP indulges in these issues (UCC, pilgrimages etc)," Owaisi said.

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He also responded to the targeting of the AIMIM by the Congress and the BJP in their election speeches.

“This is their political arrogance. They have come to know the strength of Majlis (AIMIM), that it is a powerful political party in Telangana. That's why they keep on taking Majlis' name. It will neither benefit Congress nor BJP as the people of Telangana have already decided (on whom to support),” he said, according to PTI.

He alleged that the politics of both, the Congress and the BJP, were based on hatred. "That's why I say the Telangana Congress President (A Revanth Reddy) belongs to RSS and today Mohan Bhagwat is having the remote control of Congress (controlling the Telangana Congress)," Owaisi further alleged.

Telangana is witnessing an intense political battle as the Congress party has been running a spirited campaign. The state will undergo assembly elections on November 30, and the counting of votes, along with those of four other poll-bound states, has been scheduled for December 3.