Can win 50 Parliament seats with votes of 'brethren', says AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi; BJP cries foul

AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi is brother of party chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

File pic

Hyderabad: AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi stoked a controversy when he claimed his brother and party chief Asaduddin Owaisi could help the outfit win 50 seats in Parliament with the votes of "our brethren", remarks that BJP dubbed as "hate speech".

Owaisi was also purportedly shown in the video, which has gone viral, criticising the Modi government for the recent killing of Muslims.

He referred to the killings of Mohammed Akhlaq, Pehlu Khan and 15-year-old Junaid Khan and asked "if it is a crime to wear a cap, grow your beard and be a Muslim".

"There is no need for the sympathy, support of anybody. Our brother (his brother and MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi) can win 50 parliament seats for the party with the votes of our brethren," Akbaruddin, the MLA from Chandrayangutta in Hyderabad, was heard saying in the video.

Hitting out at the VHP and Bajrang Dal, he said: "Jitna ye mulk tera hai, utna ye mulk mera bhi hai". (This country is mine as much as it is yours).

It was not immediately clear where and when Akbaruddin Owaisi made the alleged speech.

Responding to Akbaruddin's alleged comments which were seen as appealing to Muslim sentiments, BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao alleged the MLA made a hate speech which could "incite" people.

Wondering why the TRS government in the state had not filed charge-sheet in the case of hate speech made earlier by Akbaruddin Owaisi, the BJP leader demanded that a police case be registered against him.

BJP would approach the Election Commission seeking cancellation of MIM's recognition, he said.