Asaduddin Owaisi retorts to Fadnavis' Aurangzeb shrine remark; 'PM's duty to protect it'

A day after Maharashtra Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis targeted AIMIM MLA  Akbaruddin Owaisi over his visit to Aurangzeb's tomb, the latter's brother and AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday came in defense of the Chandrayangutta MLA and lashed out at the ex-Maharashtra CM by referring him to 'Tom, Dick, and Harry.'

Speaking to news agency ANI, Owaisi responded to Fadnavis' attacks against Akbaruddin Owaisi, stating, "I don't respond to such Tom, Dick and Harry...Aurangzeb grave is a protected monument and It's the PM's responsibility to protect it."

Owaisi senior's remarks came in the backdrop of Devendra Fadnavis' fiery speech wherein the Maharashtra LoP lambasted the shift in Shiv Sena's stance from late party chief Balasaheb Thackeray's tenure to CM Uddhav Thackeray's. Addressing BJP's Mahasankalp Sabha in Mumbai, Fadnavis tore into the party for labelling Hanuman Chalisa chanting as 'sedition' and standing by those who bow their heads to the grave of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb - who was responsible for torturing Chhatrapati Sambhaji to death.

"My question is did Hindu Hriday Samrat, Shiv Sena patriarch Shri Balasaheb ever imagine that under his son's rule, chanting Hanuman Chalisa would be sedition against the state and going and bowing in front of Aurangzeb's grave would be the state etiquette? Could he have ever thought this?" asked Fadnavis. 

'It's fountain, not Shivling': Owaisi

On the claims of 'Shivling' being discovered in Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has stated that Baba has not been found and asserted that it is, instead, a fountain. Claiming that every Masjid has a fountain, Owaisi asked why the claim was not raised by the court's commissioner.

"Baba has not been found. Masjid committee is saying that it's a fountain, not Shivling. Every masjid has this fountain. Why the claim was not raised by the commissioner of the Court? The order of sealing the spot is a violation of the 1991 Act. It's an attack on Muslims. The Court commissioner didn't say anything. They didn't submit the survey report and court-ordered barricading of the site. Is it a joke?" Owaisi asked while speaking to ANI.

He further added, "You say us to leave mosque, hijab and then halal meat. Should we stop breathing now? Babri masjid, gyanvapi masjid will always be masjid."

Owaisi's reaction came after the Varanasi court ordered the district administration to seal a pond in the Gyanvapi Mosque complex after counsels representing the Temple side claimed that a Shivling was found during the videography survey which was mandated by the court.

Varanasi Court Orders Sealing Of Spot Where 'Shivling' Was Found

On Monday, a Varanasi court on Monday directed the sealing of the spot on the mosque premises where a 'Shivling' was allegedly discovered. Earlier in the day, Varanasi's Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar's order came on an application filed by the Hindu side's advocate Harishankar Jain informing the court that a 'Shivling' was found during the survey conducted by a team led by the court commissioner. Besides demanding the immediate sealing of the spot, he sought the court's direction to allow only 20 Muslims to offer Namaz and prohibit them from performing Wuzu.  

The court then ruled, "The Varanasi District Magistrate is instructed that the place where the Shivling was found should be immediately sealed. No person should be permitted entry there. The Varanasi District Magistrate, Police Commissioner, Police Commissionerate and CRPF commandant, Varanasi are directed that they will be personally responsible to guard and keep safe the place that has been sealed". The matter will now be heard on Tuesday when the survey report is likely to be submitted to the court.