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Every Vote For Asaduddin Owaisi A Vote Against India: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya

Accusing both Asaduddin Owaisi and his brother Akbaruddin Owaisi of "playing divisive and communal politics", Tejasvi Surya accused the AIMIM leaders of "allowing only Rohingya Muslims, not development", in Hyderabad.

Hyderabad: The BJP’s Tejasvi Surya, campaigning for the Hyderabad civic polls next month, aimed a searing offensive at AIMIM leader and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi today, saying every vote for him was a vote against India.

Accusing both Asaduddin Owaisi and his brother Akbaruddin Owaisi of "playing divisive and communal politics", Tejasvi Surya, a BJP MP from Bengaluru, also accused the AIMIM leaders of "allowing only Rohingya Muslims, not development", in Hyderabad.

"Every single vote to Owaisi is a vote against India and everything that India stands for," said Mr Surya, recently elevated as the BJP’s youth wing president.

"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."

The firebrand BJP MP called the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation polls to be held on December 1 the BJP’s gateway to the south.

"Change Hyderabad today, change Telangana tomorrow, change South India day after tomorrow. The whole nation is watching Hyderabad," he said.

The civic polls in Hyderabad have become a high profile contest with the BJP raising the stakes after winning a byelection in the Dubbaka assembly seat, a stronghold of Telangana’s ruling party TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti).

Sensing an opportunity to consolidate its base in Telangana ahead of assembly polls due in three years, the BJP decided to go all out in the civic election in Hyderabad, where the Owaisis have a strong grip.

"It is laughable that Akbaruddin and Asaduddin Owaisi are speaking of development. They haven’t allowed development or new infrastructure project in old Hyderabad. The only thing they allowed is Rohingya Muslims," said Mr Surya.

He also mocked Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao for promising to make Hyderabad an Istanbul, saying he had an alliance with the AIMIM as he wanted to make it a "Hyderabad of Pakistan".

Besides Mr Surya, the BJP has drafted several national leaders to campaign in Hyderabad, forcing the state’s ruling party to respond.

Mr Rao, aka KCR, released his party’s manifesto for the civic polls, in which he announced a waiver of water bills and electricity bill concessions. He also urged people to choose between peace and communal disturbances, without referring to the BJP.

"Do you want a peaceful Hyderabad or do you want a Hyderabad where there is curfew, communal disturbances? You have to make that choice,’’ the Chief Minister said.

Reacting to Mr Surya’s comments, KCR’s daughter K Kavitha, a lawmaker, said: "This so-called young leader wants to change Hyderabad, change Telangana and South India. I want to tell him, boss, open your eyes, Hyderabad has already changed. Amazon, Google have come to Hyderabad. Within 6 years, 24 hours quality power has come to Hyderabad, we have created a wonderful network of road and infrastructure to beat any other metro. Hyderabad has arrived and it is Hyderabad’s time to rule the roost in this country.’