Asaduddin Owaisi breaks down over 'attempts to erase existence of Muslims'; cites riots

Amidst the spiralling violence in the country, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, on Friday, broke down as he addressed a gathering at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad. Referring to the recent spurt of religion-based violence across the country, Owaisi alleged that there have been attempts to erase the existence of his community. However, he said that all God-fearing Muslims will wait, fight back and not leave the battlefield. 

Speaking on the last Friday of Ramzan, the minority leader said, "People are calling and telling me about atrocities being done to them, their villages and shops are being demolished. One should not lose hope, there's no need to worry. We'll face it with patience but will never raze a home." In his speech, he also highlighted the events that took place in the cities of Karauli, Khargone and Jahangirpuri. Notably, just a few days ago he had asked BJP and RSS to apologise for demolishing buildings in Rajasthan's Alwar. 

Earlier in the day, the Madhya Pradesh police arrested the main weapon supplier and six other accused persons in the Khargone violence case. While addressing a press briefing, Madhya Pradesh Police stated that the accused identified as Toofan Singh was the one who supplied weapons to the rioters during the Khargone clash that took place on April 10. The police raided around six locations to nab Toofan Singh and seized 17 pistols and multiple weapons.

AIMIM invites Raj Thackeray to Iftar Party

This comes as AIMIM MP Imtiyaz Jaleel invited Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray to an Iftar party, amidst the loudspeaker row. Jaleel said that Raj Thackeray should attend the Iftar event with him before his Aurangabad rally on May 1. The AIMIM leader's statement comes ahead of Raj Thackeray's highly-anticipated rally in Aurangabad on May 1 before the MNS leader's May 3 ultimatum, wherein he urged the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to remove loudspeakers from Mosques by the proclaimed date or listen to Hanuman Chalisa being played at a 'higher volume.' 

Image: ANI