Lashing out at Akbaruddin Owaisi for allegedly threatening a police officer in Hyderabad, BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma here said that the matter would have been settled within “five minutes” if it had happened in Assam.
All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi’s brother, Akbaruddin Owaisi, was booked on November 22, for openly threatening a police inspector who was asking him to follow the model code of conduct for the assembly polls.
“If this had happened in Assam, the matter would have been settled within five minutes. Due to appeasement politics in Telangana, neither BRS nor Congress is saying anything…If you can openly threaten the police, then people will feel threatened,” Assam CM said on November 22.
The Assam CM urged the Election Commission of India to “cancel” the candidature of Akbaruddin Owaisi.
Earlier, Rohit Raju, DCP South East zone informed that a case has been registered against Akbaruddin Owaisi. “The case has been booked under section 353 (obstructing official duties) IPC and other relevant sections,” the police official said.
Reacting to the FIR registered against him, Akbaruddin said, “DCP and police are lying. Firstly, I have video footage of him (a police officer) coming onto the stage. If I give a speech after 10 pm, then police can book me under the law. But obstructing a public meeting and saying that time is up is wrong. Police should not do this.”
The AIMIM leader, who was addressing a campaign in Hyderabad’s Lalitabagh, asked the policeman to “leave” the venue, implying that if he made a “signal” to his supporters, the inspector would be forced to “run” from the place.”
“Do you think that after facing knives and bullets, I got weak, still there’s lots of courage in me. Five minutes are left and I’ll address five minutes, no one can stop me. If I give a signal then you’ll have to run, shall we make him run? This is what I’m saying they come like this to weaken us,” Akbaruddin said.
In this regard, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi also defended the remarks of his brother and said that the official should not have intervened as “five minutes” were left for the campaign time to be over for the day.
Akbaruddin is in the fray from the Chandrayangutta constituency. The seat has been a stronghold of the AIMIM, with the party winning it in 2014 and 2018. Telangana will go to polls in a single phase on November 30.
The counting of votes for Telangana, along with those of four other poll-bound states, will take place on December 3.
(with inputs from ANI)
