All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has strongly criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) amid the ongoing "I Love Mohammad" controversy. Speaking at a public meeting in Hyderabad, the Hyderabad MP said, "In this country, one can say 'I love Modi' but not 'I love Mohammad'. Where are you taking this nation?"
Owaisi’s remarks come as tensions remain high in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, where protests over "I Love Mohammad" posters turned violent last week. In response, internet services were suspended across four districts of the Bareilly division, and heavy police deployment was carried out during Dussehra festivities and Friday prayers.
The AIMIM leader highlighted perceived double standards in public expression, stating, "If someone says 'I love Modi', the media also becomes happy. If someone says 'I love Mohammad', then that is objected to. If I am a Muslim, it is because of Muhammad. There is nothing above and beyond that for the 17 crore Indians who participated in the country's independence."
Owaisi also questioned the government’s handling of law and order, citing recent incidents in Assam: "I want to ask the government why they are making so many laws, and what is happening? 3000 Muslims in Assam were made homeless, claiming that the construction was on government land..." He urged people to remain patient and act within legal frameworks, adding, "We must not be bothered by the situation. We have to deal with patience. We must do everything within the law. Don't take the law into your own hands. When you act within the law, you will realise that the law is just a spiderweb and nothing else."
The Uttar Pradesh police have arrested Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) National General Secretary Nafees Khan and his son Farman Khan in connection with the September 26 protests in Bareilly, bringing total arrests to 81. Farman Khan reportedly managed the IMC’s Facebook page, and both father and son admitted that "everyone was involved in the conspiracy," according to SSP Bareilly Anurag Arya.
During the protests, a group gathered outside Ala Hazrat Dargah and IMC chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan’s residence, holding "I Love Mohammad" placards. The demonstrators pelted stones at police after Friday prayers, prompting the administration to suspend mobile internet and broadband services for 48 hours, from October 2 to October 4.
