HYDERABAD: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday engaged in a war of words on social media, with the former slamming the BJP leader over his statement that India is the only country where the minorities get more benefits and protections than the majority community, saying minority rights are fundamental rights, not charity.The Hyderabad MP, in a post on ‘X’, said, “You are a Minister of the Indian Republic, not a monarch.@KirenRijiju You hold a constitutional post, not a throne.Minority rights are fundamental rights, not charity.” “India’s minorities are not even second-class citizens anymore. We are hostages,” Owaisi alleged. The AIMIM chief attacked Rijiju on the Waqf (Amendment) Act, and asked can Muslims be members of Hindu Endowment Boards? “No. But your Waqf Amendment Act forces non-Muslims onto Waqf Boards and allows them to form a majority.” He further said the BJP-led central government “discontinued” the Maulana Azad National Fellowship, “defunded” the pre-matric scholarship and limited the post-matric and merit-cum-means scholarships.”All because they benefited Muslim students,” he said.Owaisi said Muslims are now the only group whose numbers have fallen in higher education and their presence in the informal economy has gone up.”They have been among the worst-hit by your government’s economic policies,” he alleged.Muslim-concentrated areas are the ones most starved of public infrastructure and basic services, he claimed.”We are not asking to be compared with other minorities of other countries. We are not asking for more than what the majority community gets. We are demanding what the Constitution promises: social, economic, and political justice,” Owaisi said.
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