BJP's Tejasvi Surya claims 'South India will be saffronised'; alleges cops obstructed him

Seeking votes for his party in Hyderabad, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday said that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections will set the tone of assembly elections in Telangana. In what seemed to be a tall claim, Tejasvi Surya said that "whole South India will be saffronised." His assertion comes even as BJP has only 2 MLAs in Telangana, one MLA in Kerala, and no MLAs in Tamil Nadu. 

Earlier in the day, Tejasvi Surya had claimed that he and his supporters were stopped at the gate of Osmania University allegedly by police on the order of Telangana CM KCR. He had also posted pictures of the same. But soon after, Commissioner of Police, East Zone, Hyderabad, issued a statement saying it was fake news. The Police statement said, "It is hereby clarified that no such incident of stoppage by the police or clash with police has happened in the OU Campus and the MP, along with his followers, went inside the campus and conducted a meeting peacefully, at the Arts College Building."
 

READ | 'Owaisi's AIMIM Has No Relation With Muslims': BJP's Kishan Reddy Ahead Of GHMC Polls

On Monday, BJP's Tejasvi Surya said that AIMIM has allowed Rohingya Muslims to stay illegally in Hyderabad and the Owaisis are speaking the "language of rabid Islamism, separatism and extremism which Muhammad Ali Jinnah had spoken." Campaigning for the upcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections, Tejasvi Surya said that a vote to AIMIM means that people will choose to divide the nation. 

Tejasvi Surya said, "Laughable that Akabaruddin & Asaduddin Owaisi are speaking of development. They haven't allowed development in old Hyderabad, the only thing they allowed is Rohingya Muslims. He (Asaduddin Owaisi) speaks the language of rabid Islamism, separatism and extremism which Mohammed Ali Jinnah also spoke. Every Indian should stand against divisive and communal politics of the Owaisi brothers. Vote to Owaisi is a vote against India." He continued, "Who is Owaisi? Owaisi is Mohammed Ali Jinnah's new avatar".

READ | Owaisi Rebuts Tejasvi Surya's "Rohingyas In Hyderabad" Claim; 'BJP Can Only See Sherwani'

Owaisi hits back

Hitting out at the BJP, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday evening said that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election is a fight between "Hyderabad and Bhagyanagar". Owaisi asked that if Rohingyas have been allowed to stay in Hyderabad illegally, then what is the Home Minister doing? Addressing a rally, Owaisi said, "Why are you behind me, why are you trying to provoke me? If you are saying that there are thirty-thousand Rohingyas, then what is Amit Shah doing? Amit Shah is sleeping? He is Home Minister, why isn't he checking if Rohingyas have been included in the electoral list? Are we making the electoral list in our office? If BJP is honest, then give me a list of names of at least 1000 Rohingyas till tomorrow evening. You are just trying to create hatred. This fight is between Hyderabad and Bhagyanagar. There are so many things in Hyderabad, go visit Charminar, go eat the food delicacies, but no, you (BJP) can only see Sherwani and attack."

READ |  Owaisi dismisses alliance with TRS for GHMC polls and taunts KCR over his 'anti-BJP front'

Owaisi had earlier said that there will be no alliance with TRS in the upcoming polls and claimed that power minister who belongs to TRS had falsely said that AIMIM leaders met PM Modi. Speaking to media, Owaisi also said that Congress had made similar allegations against AIMIM after Bihar elections. He also slammed the BJP and said that the party is trying to give communal colour to the polls, and asked about the financial aid that Centre has given to Hyderabad post-2019.

READ | 'Who Is Owaisi? He's Jinnah's New Avatar,' Says BJP's Tejasvi Surya Making Rohingyas Claim

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections

The Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) announced that 150 GHMC divisions will go to polls on December 1 and the counting of votes will be done on December 4. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the polling time has been extended by one hour, i.e., from 7 am to 6 pm. The current term of the GHMC council ends in February 2021 and in the 2016 elections, AIMIM won 44 seats, TRS won 99. BJP won 4 seats, Congress won 2 and TDP won one seat.