Hyderabad: The Telangana BJP on Sunday came down heavily on Hyderabad MP and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi for attempting to turn Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s conferment of Uzbekistan’s highest honour for foreign leaders into a political argument over Mughal emperor Babur.
Reacting to Owaisi’s remarks that the honour came from the very country from which Babur originated, BJP State Chief Spokesperson and Media In-charge N. V. Subash said the AIMIM chief had once again demonstrated how far he was willing to stretch history for political point-scoring.
“Barrister Owaisi may possess a foreign law degree, but his argument displays a remarkably narrow understanding of history and diplomacy. Uzbekistan of today is a sovereign modern nation and a strategic partner of Bharat. Its decision to confer the Oliy Darajali Do’stlik Order, its highest honour for foreign leaders, on Prime Minister Modi is an acknowledgement of his contribution to strengthening India-Uzbekistan relations. It has nothing to do with Babur,” Subash said.
He pointed out that Prime Minister Modi was in Uzbekistan as part of high-level diplomatic engagement, with the two countries deepening their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. “Should every modern nation be judged by rulers who lived centuries ago? By that logic, no country could ever have normal diplomatic relations with another because history everywhere contains wars, invasions and conflicts,” he remarked.
Subash said Owaisi’s attempt to invoke Babur was particularly ironic because the AIMIM chief himself routinely lectures others on secularism and constitutional values. “The BJP has every right to question the legacy of Mughal invasions and the destruction associated with that period. But reducing a major diplomatic honour to a Babur-versus-BJP argument is intellectually dishonest and politically desperate,” he said.
On Owaisi’s reported challenge to the BJP over supporting AIMIM candidates in Uttar Pradesh, Subash said the AIMIM chief should first demonstrate his commitment to genuine political inclusiveness within his own party.
“If Owaisi wants to lecture the BJP on political accommodation, let him first show how representative his own party is. He should explain how many Hindu MLAs and prominent Hindu leaders AIMIM has produced from the constituencies where it claims a strong political presence,” Subash said.
He further accused Owaisi of becoming increasingly obsessed with the RSS and its leadership. “The RSS has consistently participated in relief and social-service activities during floods, earthquakes and other calamities. Instead of repeatedly demonising the organisation, Owaisi should acknowledge the contribution of those who work on the ground for society,” he said.
Referring to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent remarks on Hindu-Muslim unity, Subash said the message was unequivocal that Bharat cannot be built by excluding any community.
“Owaisi may continue to see politics through the prism of a permanent vote bank. But Bharat is moving beyond that politics. His Babur argument only exposes how desperately he is trying to remain relevant,” Subash said.
