Owaisi slams Modi govt’s double standards over advisory on “pro-Iran preachers”
Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has critisized the Indian government’s double standards over its advisory directing states to monitor “pro-Iran radical preachers” in the wake of the Israel-US attack on Iran, questioning why the same level of urgency was not shown in addressing the growing tide of hate against Muslims in India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a statement, Owaisi argued that the advisory highlights the Modi government’s selective approach to concerns over public order. He said, “This advisory exposes the Modi government’s double standards”.
He pointed to a specific example, saying, “There is a baba (Hindu guru) who has repeatedly violated his bail conditions and openly incited genocide against Muslims. The Central government itself funded a conference that called for the overthrow of India’s Constitution,” he said, questioning why no similar urgency was shown in those instances.
Referring to rising hate speech, Owaisi pointed out, “The number of anti-Indian Muslim hate speeches specifically referencing Israel’s Gaza genocide has increased since 2023. Yet no advisory has ever been issued to counter anti-Muslim hate speech. In such cases, the Centre says ‘law and order is a state subject.’”
His remarks came after the Indian Home Ministry, in a communication to states and Union Territories, asked them to keep watch on “pro-Iran radical preachers giving inflammatory statements” that could potentially trigger violence. This advisory was issued after Muslims in various parts of India staged protests to express their grief and outrage over the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israel strike in Tehran on Saturday.
