India will one day have hijab-clad woman as PM, says Owaisi; BJP calls remark ‘irresponsible’

Mumbai: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said a hijab-clad woman would one day become India’s prime minister as the country’s Constitution accords equal status to people from all communities, unlike in Pakistan, where members of only one faith can occupy top constitutional posts.

His remark drew a sharp reaction from the ruling BJP, which said that through his “irresponsible” statement, the Hyderabad MP was presenting only half-truth as Muslim women were against the practice of wearing hijab.

Praful Patel of NCP, an ally of the BJP, said the remark should not be taken seriously, as they are aimed solely at expanding his vote bank.

Addressing an election rally on Friday in Maharashtra’s Solapur ahead of the January 15 civic polls, Owaisi said, “The Constitution of Pakistan says that only a person belonging to one religion can become the country’s prime minister or the president. But the Constitution, written by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, clearly states that any citizen can become the prime minister, the chief minister of a state or even a mayor.” “By the grace of Almighty, the day will come, when neither I nor the present generation will be around, but a daughter wearing a hijab would become the prime minister of India,” the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president said.

“I am confident that the day will surely come...The hate you are spreading against Muslims will not last long,” he said, targeting the ruling party.

Reacting to it, BJP MP Anil Bonde said Owaisi was making irresponsible statements and accused him of presenting only half-truths.

Claiming that Muslim women were against wearing hijab as nobody wanted subjugation, he said women in Iran were protesting against this practice.

He alleged that demographic imbalance was rising in India, and urged Hindus to unite.

Owaisi, in his address during the poll rally, also appealed to local people not to vote for the candidates fielded by the parties of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) and Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena) and Ajit Pawar (NCP), or those backed by them.

Referring to the ongoing debate over who will become the mayor of Mumbai, with the BJP asserting that the next first citizen of the state capital would be a Marathi and a Hindu, Owaisi said such discussions surface only during elections.

He alleged that Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar were misleading people, and urged voters to give them a “befitting reply” in the polls.

“We will not become victims of your conspiracy,” he said.

He also accused the ruling parties of not running the government as per the Constitution.

“The foundation of their rule is hatred. They claim to be friends of minorities and Dalits, but they are not. They are also not doing anything for farmers,” Owaisi alleged.

NCP’s Praful Patel also slammed Owaisi, saying he often makes such statements for electoral gain. At times, Patel said, the intent is to cut into another party’s votes, while at other times it is to indirectly benefit certain parties.

“These people change their stand every day and at different places,” Patel said, adding that such remarks should not be taken seriously.