Owaisi, Raj Thackeray

Akbaruddin Owaisi and a suave new brand of hate politics Table of contents

Hate speech in a slick new avatar?

Owaisi, Raj Thackeray: The suave new faces of hate politics? 04 Why we are likely to hear more Owaisi-type hate speeches 06 Owaisi hate speech: This is not the first time 08 Owaisi speech: Why the time is ripe to clamp down on hate politics 09 Faux pas or prelude to Operation Polarisation? 11

The politics of hate

Owaisi arrest: How the BJP and MIM hope to gain from it 14 Owaisis mock media, divide Muslims to expand vote base 16 All over YouTube, so why is Cong not pulling up Owaisi? 18

The Owaisi saga

Did the police slip up in Owaisi case? 20 Hate speech: Police arrest MIM leader Owaisi 22 Akbaruddin Owaisi sent to 14 days judicial custody 23 Owaisi hopes for HC relief, supporters damage media vans 24 Andhra HC dismisses petition to remove Owaisi’s speeches from YouTube 25

This is a new combo of hate speech politics that we have not been used to. Raj, when he started, looked like an exception; but now, with Owaisi - although not new to politics and hate-speak - are we seeing a new trend?

G Pramod Kumar, Jan 9, 2013

ith the rise of Akbaruddin Owaisi, the new icon of hate-speech in India, Raj However, as we get used to their shrill, they W Thackeray, the ‘Hindutva hottie‘, has sound interesting, however retrograde and dan- competition. But, together, they seem to have gerous they are. demolished the long-held stereotype of hate politics in the country. This is a new combo of hate politics that we have not been used to. Raj, when he started, They are among the limited edition of younger, looked like an exception; but now, with Owaisi hate-speech politicians in India: clean-shaven, – although not new to politics and hate-speak – suave, well-educated and sharply dressed. Both are we seeing a new trend? had an urban and privileged upbringing and went to schools and colleges where they mixed Are they just a random occurrence or the with cosmopolitan crowds. emerging face of extreme politics in India?

But when they open their mouth, there is some- Is hate-speech undergoing an un-laboured thing shockingly misplaced: it’s pure venom make-over? that goes well – to our trained eyes and ears – with saffron, vermillion, beards and skull-caps. Probably, it’s too early to say; but that they have

Copyright © 2012 Firstpost established a new look-and-feel for hate-speech In the past, when Raj spoke against the Muslims politics is significant because politics is also and migrants in Mumbai, Owaisi was certain about stereotypes and images. Just as the way to execute a fatwa against Salman Rushdie and the congress had clad itself in khadi, from which Taslima Nasreen if they ever entered Hydera- even Rajiv or Rahul Gandhi couldn’t escape, bad. hate-speech has always been comfortable being retro, scruffy, frothy and intimidating. Raj proclaims and demands all this and more without stirring out of his home turf, namely And their constituencies had been mostly rural, Mumbai, and the right for his hate-speech was old-fashioned and the city-ghettos. inherited.

In India’s political iconography, which is also Owaisi’s turf is also strictly his city, and his highly deceitful, trying a new model over the legacy of hate-speech also was inherited from existing one – that too a perfectly working his father Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, a six time one – is fraught with risks of rejection because MP from Hyderabad. As in the case of Raj’s perception is more important than reality. On uncle Bal Thackeray, Owaisi senior was equally the other hand, the new-age looks might be the flagrant in his communal and divisive politics. breakthrough that hate-speech politicians have While Thackeray poured hatred against minori- been looking for to create a new constituency. ties and migrants, Owaisi senior targeted the Indian State. According to him, Muslims had The stereotypical extremist was certainly repel- been abandoned by India and should stand on ling for the urban and young Indian, but a Raj their own feet instead of looking for help from or Owaisi are models that might make their the State. brand of politics look cool. Raj has already shown that it’s a working proposition, and Ow- In, India, most of the Sangh Parivar indoctrina- aisi might reinforce its replicability. tion started with their khaki and red tikka. They were the established routes to radical thinking. The duo has instant solutions that this constituency – the urban, young and otherwise In the sangh parivar camp, Varun Gandhi, al- apolitical – might lap up. The members of this though still kurta-clad, is another representative constituency want faster solutions and systemic of this creed. He is young, urban, well-spoken, changes overnight. They wanted Kasab to be but unabashedly inflammatory. He dresses up lynched without a trial, and the Delhi rapists to his communal vitriol in such smart oratory that be hanged in public without the courts’ inter- people are more amused than put off. vention. The designer doctrine might create a parallel They are a highly en-tropic constituency, which and fast-track process of enrollment for hate- is perhaps ashamed of the old images and ways speech politics in India. Raj and Owaisi have of the country and its people. They might be piloted a model which shows that inflammatory small in number, but the recent uprisings have speech and communal polarisation do not have shown that they have the firepower. to come with any kind of uniform. They have also shown that it is a smart thing to defy stere- Raj and Owaisi will appeal to the extreme youth otypes and reach out to new constituencies. of this constituency. Raj has an easy and instant solution for the ills of Mumbai and incidents Interestingly, the State has been quite soft on like the Delhi rapes – drive out the Bihari mi- the designer radicals. Had they been old fash- grants. Similarly, Owaisi has an easy solution ioned with no urban legacy, the story would for Muslim assertion: in 15 minutes, 250 million have been different. Muslims can show one billion Hindus who is more powerful. Anyway, as the cliche goes, let’s wait and see.

The Owaisi hate speech should be seen in the larger context of Muslim parties seeking to get out of the secular umbrella.

R Jagannathan, Jan 9, 2013

he Akbaruddin Owaisi “hate speech” of However, MIM is only one of several Muslim 24 December 2012 is not what everyone outfits seeking a larger Muslim vote base at the T thinks it is. Despite the incendiary na- regional or national level. ture of the speech, the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Mus- limeen (MIM) leader’s poison tongue should be At the national level, the Welfare Party of India seen for what it is: an attempt to cock a snook — started two years ago — is said to have the at so-called secular parties. Muslims are keen to blessings of the Jamait e-Islami-e-Hind (JIH), move away from the umbrella provided by these though the latter denies it. The party is yet to parties. Parties such as the Congress and Sama- make its mark electorally, but it is busy open- jwadi are thus being put on notice. ing chapters in various states. Its Maharashtra chapter is to start this April. The Jamait is to While Owaisi will get his brief time in jail, it is Muslims like what the RSS is to Hindus. unlikely to achieve anything more than increase his attraction to his Muslim constituency. And the real message is here.

For some time now Muslims have been the only constituency treated as a vote-bank without their own direct share of power (except in Kerala and Kashmir). Every caste, every group and every community has had the advantage of being represented by one of their own in India’s raucous democracy, but Muslims have had to seek compromise under secular umbrellas – often under the Congress and various regional parties in the states.

Owaisi’s rabble-rousing speech should thus be In the Jangipur Lok Sabha byelection last Octo- seen as another attempt to separate the Muslim ber, where Pranab Mukherjee’s son Abhijit (now vote bank from secular parties – and this trend infamous for his “dented, painted” quote) came can only accelerate over the coming years. close to losing the election as the Welfare Party managed to take away a chunk of Muslim votes Owaisi’s MIM, currently confined to Hyderabad, that the Congress normally takes for granted. has recently been trying to extend its constituency to nearby areas of the old Hyderabad state, Nor are MIM and Welfare the only Muslim where Muslims had a larger share of political parties. In almost every state with a significant voice. Last year, MIM forayed into neighbouring Muslim population, there are Muslim parties Maharashtra, where the party suddenly in- sprouting to claim the vote. creased its tally in the Nanded Municipal Cor- poration to 11 seats from just one. Even though the Indian Union Muslim League (the oldest of the pure Muslim parties) has been

Copyright © 2012 Firstpost around since independence, its presence has behalf of all Muslims, and this is unlikely to been restricted to Kerala. The rash of new Mus- happen since there is as much diversity among lim parties emerging elsewhere is a sign that Muslim populations in various states as there is Muslims are regional in their outlook the way among castes and communities. the caste-based and other parties are. Just as Mayawati has been able to make only Thus we have the MIM in Andhra, the All India a limited dent among Dalits outside Uttar United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Assam, Pradesh, Muslim parties will have their work the Peace Part of India In Uttar Pradesh, the cut out in trying to become pan-India parties. National Conference and PDP in Kashmir, and the Social Democratic Party of India in Bengal. But as they fight for their own votes to establish In Tamil Nadu, we have the Muslim Munnetra primacy in their own regions, India’s fledgling Kazhagam, and so on. Muslim parties could get shriller in order to tell Muslims that they can do represent them better It is in this broader context that we must assess than the rest. the Owaisi “hate speech.” It may be about hate, but it is also about staking out a claim to repre- Owaisi’s hate speech is unlikely to be the last as senting Muslims in India. Muslim parties compete to establish some degree of ascendency over the rest. The Congress What is clear is that there is no single Muslim has to be most scared of this development. pan-India party that can claim to speak on

Akbaruddin Owaisi is facing arrest because of his hate speech in Adilabad but the Owaisi brothers are known for their inflammatory speeches.

FP Staff, Jan 3, 2013

kbaruddin Owaisi might be hogging the known for routine inflammatory speeches in headlines for his recent highly inflam- and outside their respective constituencies. A matory speech but this is the not the Watch the video above for a quick round of their first time that the Owaisis are courting contro- controversial speeches. versy. Akrabuddin recently went on a tirade against the Hindus in a speech full of hatred in Adila- bad. But even before this the Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen MLA has incited hatred. In this video, he said “We in Hyderabad want to behead this woman according to the fatwa,” when Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen had come to Hyderabad.

His elder brother, Asasuddudin is not to be left far behind. Though he has toned down after becoming an MP, it did not stop him from de- claring that Salman Rushdie should be arrested for writing books that seemingly desecrate the sanctity of Islam. Asaduddin Owaisi – Lok Sabha MP from Hy- derabad and Akbaruddin Owaisi – MLA are

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There are indications that India has matured over the last one decade. A few leaders cannot be allowed to reverse the process.

Akshaya Mishra, Jan 4, 2013

aste politics has its uses, politics based that people have moved on. on religion has none. C If Akbaruddin Owaisi, leader of the Majlis-e- The former places the traditionally exploited, Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), thought he has marginalised and unprivileged sections of the impressed the members of his community with society on a platform from where they can his Adilabad hate speech, he should read the bargain hard for what is their due in a competi- sense of disgust in the members of his own com- tive democracy. At the core of it are positive munity who have been speaking to the media superior values – justice, fairness and equality. in Hyderabad and elsewhere. Yes, he received The core of the politics of religion is composed applause from the large gathering while making of raw emotions – anger, hate and malice. It is the speech, but let’s not read too much into that. destructive, because it is intrinsically devoid of People always appreciate a good performance. any idea of construction. They don’t bother so much about the content.

Speeches like these are designed to stoke communal violence. That no communal violence has been reported from Andhra Pradesh after the event is proof that people have learnt to be indifferent to what people like Akbaruddin dish out.

It’s also heartening that the speech achieved little beyond generating a lot of curiosity in the media, particularly the online media. If he expected a polarising effect from his drama, there was not any. Why is this guy talking rubbish? How can he get away with such a speech? Who’s this character? – these were the dominant reac- Mature people and mature societies learn to tions. Of course, we had the routine government grow beyond religious identities and grievances, bashing riding on it. The reactive anger was and focus on the aspirational and the produc- conspicuous by its lack of intensity. tive. There are indications that India has matured over the last one decade. Inter-religious Leaders like Akbaruddin fail to realise that re- tension has been substantially low, communal turns, political or otherwise, from such speeches hate-mongering has reduced and people are have started diminishing all over India. People hitting the streets with demands that are com- are tired of the language, the tone and the tenor. pletely secular. Political leaders are sensing They want politicians to articulate their ambi- the mood and even the most communal among tions and promise things concrete, not impress them are busy recasting their image to fit in. them with empty rhetoric. The audience at Adilabad would not be unaware that the speech However, some leaders don’t get the message was a self-serving one, aimed at consolidating

Copyright © 2012 Firstpost MIM’s vote bank. If politicians presume that and exemplary action against leaders like him people cannot read motives in what they utter would serve the purpose. and do, they have to be stupid. BJP leader Varun Gandhi is facing the music The world around is getting increasingly impa- for his intemperate speech at an election rally. tient of empty rhetoric. It wants constructive ac- Leaders like Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra tion from its leaders. Communal politics would Modi have ensured that the communal hate be good if it ensured better quality of life for the peddlers keep their mouths shut. There’s no members of a particular community. However, reason why the likes of Akbaruddin should go it invariably turns into hate politics. This has unpunished. been India’s experience over the last many dec- ades and the consequence of such politics has This is the opportunity for the Congress lead- been disastrous. ership to prove to the world that it is awake to the aspirations of the new India and that it also The MIM leader offers a good opportunity to wants to move beyond stale, uninspiring rheto- the government to press home the point. Swift ric of communal leaders.

If this is the route the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) wishes to take to spread its wings beyond the Old city of Hyderabad, we might all have to run for cover.

T S Sudhir, Jan 2, 2013

f this is the route the All India Majlis-e- Reddy’s promotion to the CM’s chair saw the Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) wishes to relationship deteriorating so much so that now I take to spread its wings beyond the Old the Hyderabad brothers have vowed to finish city of Hyderabad, we might all have to run for Kiran’s political innings. cover. In a two-hour long speech in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh last week, Akbarud- In November, the MIM accused the CM of din Owaisi who is the leader of the MIM legis- siding with the BJP and allowing work to take lature party in the Andhra Pradesh assembly, place at the Bhagyalakshmi temple abutting spewed venom like a wholesale dealer in the the Charminar. The party withdrew support to market would sell his wares. By the ton. the Congress over the issue and its leaders have been touring the state ever since, taking Kiran Kumar Reddy to the cleaners, dubbing him a “Musalmanon ke dushman” (enemy of the Mus- lims).

The MIM sees an opportunity for itself now in the run-up to 2014 to grow into a pan-Andhra Pradesh party, with footprints in the old Nizam dominion. It won 13 of the 25 seats it contested in the Nanded municipal corporation elections in October, helping it cross the border into Maharashtra. And the present round of Hindu bashing in extremely crass language is one of Owaisi’s weapons to polarise the Muslim vote entirely in its favour and reach out to newer For those not familiar with the party, the MIM areas in districts outside Hyderabad. has its roots in the Old city area of Hyderabad and claims to be the spokesperson of the Mus- Lawyers from the BJP have gone to court in lims in the city, and Andhra Pradesh by exten- protest against this outburst by Akbar in which sion. It has seven MLAs in the state assembly he spoke derisively of Hindu Gods and God- and one Lok Sabha MP, which is Akbar’s broth- desses and the cow. What helps them is that er Asaduddin Owaisi. Asaduddin and Akbarud- cutting across religious lines, the verdict is that din’s father, the late Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi the discourse was inflammatory and in extreme- represented Hyderabad in the Lok Sabha for six ly bad taste. And that BJP leader Varun Gandhi consecutive terms till 2004. was hauled up by the courts for a hate speech in 2009. MIM had a cosy relationship with the Congress, especially during the time that Y S Rajasekhara The MIM is batting on the backfoot dealing Reddy held sway. His demise and Kiran Kumar with this self-goal that Akbaruddin Owaisi has

Copyright © 2012 Firstpost scored. Sources in the party describe Akbar’s be arrested in less than 24 hrs for a harmless FB speech as a “honest mistake, not something post but Owaisi roams free after his blatantly deliberate” and point that when good orators communal rant?” Columnist Minhaz Merchant are in full flow and the crowds are enjoying tweeted : “Comparing Owaisi hate speech with the rhetoric, sometimes they get carried away. Togadia’s is like Pak saying “first condemn Considering how weak a defence that will sound Samjhauta, then 26/11”. Dilatory tactic.” in court, why not apologise and settle the issue? But publicly disowning the speech is not an Indeed, Akbar by virtue of being an MLA ought option the MIM wants to exercise as it fears it to have been more responsible with his tongue. will lead to whispers that there are differences To say “the 25 crore Muslims in India can take within the party. care of the 100 crore Hindus if the police stayed away for fifteen minutes”, does little to distin- Critics of the MIM like corporator Amjedullah guish Akbar from a gully ka thug. Khan of the Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) says Akbar and the MIM are playing to a script. “See The criticism against the legislator is that this today no one is talking about underdevelop- is not the first time he has violated the law. “He ment in the Old city areas. People are only dis- has made several such provocative speeches in cussing whether Akbar will be arrested. People the past. There are cases booked against him in are talking about the communal tension over several police stations but the police under suc- Bhagyalakshmi temple. All this will only help cessive governments have turned a blind eye,” the MIM. I demand that the elders of the com- says Khan. munity should disown Akbar. If they condemn Praveen Togadia, they should condemn Akbar The worry is that the speech has gone viral on also because it is against the Holy Quran and the net. And it is wrong to assume that it is only the teachings of Prophet Mohammed to criticise the youth and the illiterate or the semi-literate another religion,” says Khan. get attracted to such a divisive narrative. Maz- her Hussain, Director of the Confederation of The MIM denies that the speech is a part of Voluntary Associations, which does commend- Operation Polarisation. “Why would we want able work in the Old city areas points out that to antagonise the Hindu community. There is even elders are drawn to oratory of this kind. no threat to our core base. Akbar’s speech is not “While the youth are in the forefront of covert the policy of the MIM. It is not a larger political violence, the covert context is provided by the gameplan. Development politics in our constitu- elders,” says Hussain. encies has given us political dividends and that is our policy. We will not go back to the politics While bigwigs of the Congress in the state have of 1960s to 1990s,” says a senior MIM leader. publicly kept mum and prefer that the courts decide on the matter, the police does not expect Akbar who is out of the country is aware of the any political reluctance to act against Akbar. uproar his speech has created, especially on the social media. Lyricist Javed Akhtar tweeted In his speech, Akbar dares Kiran Kumar Reddy : “Mr AU Owaisi, you are the worst enemy of saying “Hum tujhko chain se bethne nahi Indian Muslims. your poisonous words and evil denge” (We will not let you remain in peace). thoughts don’t represent the Muslims of India.” The pity is that such verbal diarrhoea does not His son Farhan Akhtar asked “How can 2 girls let the idea of India live in peace as well.

The BJP is hoping to polarise voters over the MLA’s hate speech, while MIM is hoping to get sympathy over what they say is discrimination. The Congress stands to lose the most.

T S Sudhir, Jan 9, 2013

he MIM has bowled to the BJP a he explained. well-flighted delivery that we have “T hit for a sixer.” This was the reac- Believe it or not, the thinking is on the same tion of a BJP leader from Andhra Pradesh, who lines in the political enemy camp. The MIM spoke on condition that he would not be named, admits it is on the back foot after Owaisi’s arrest describing the face-off between the two parties. but now its leaders and cadre are determined to fight it out, both legally and on the streets and “Yes, there is a lot of anger and anguish over polarise Muslim public opinion in its favour, the kind of language Akbaruddin Owaisi used even outside Hyderabad’s Old city area. against our Gods and Goddesses but there is also the realisation that there is a tremendous “The BJP wants to get Majlis disqualified, opportunity that we should exploit politically,” we will give them a fitting reply,” thundered

Copyright © 2012 Firstpost Asaduddin Owaisi, Hyderabad MP at a public BJP strategists admit that the TRS will be a meeting in Tandur on Saturday. winner when it comes to getting votes on the Telangana sentiment. But the saffron party The message that is percolating down to the could stand to gain if the arithmetic is altered to MIM cadre and through them, the Muslim pop- Telangana plus Hindutva sentiment. With this ulation, is that the rule book has been thrown at strategy, the BJP is trying to hurt two parties at their `Sher-e-Deccan’ as Akbaruddin Owaisi is the same time. referred to by his followers, while “Hindu hate- mongers” like Praveen Togadia, Raj Thackeray The first is the TRS, which would look at an and Narendra Modi have been treated with kid ebullient BJP with a degree of concern. Because gloves. The intention is clear. Tell the Mus- the hurt over the Owaisi rhetoric has united lims that they are not treated on par and that every Hindu voter who would see in the BJP they must rally behind the MIM to ensure they both a pro-Hindu and a pro-Telangana party. count. In many constituencies in Telangana with a sizeable Muslim voter base, polarisation of the This game of one-upmanship between the BJP Hindu vote could benefit the BJP. and the MIM is being viewed with concern by other parties, notably the Congress and the The second is the YSR Congress, that the BJP Telangana Rashtra Samiti. The TRS smells a hopes, would now hesitate to get into a pre-poll plot in the manner in which MIM has upped the alliance with the MIM, lest it loses the votes ante with the hate speeches in Nizamabad and from the majority community. It also expects Adilabad. that Reddy community leaders, who might have otherwise moved to Jagan’s camp en bloc, may The MIM, which is opposed to the formation of find it difficult to justify being seen in Owaisi’s a separate Telangana state, unless it is clubbed company. with two districts of Rayalaseema to form Rayala Telangana, has all along argued that a Pro-BJP activists have also translated the of- separate Telangana state will be a communal fensive portions of the Owaisi hate speech hotspot with the BJP likely to pursue an aggres- at Nirmal into Telugu and plan to distribute sive divisive agenda to gain politically. The TRS pamphlets in every household in Telangana, alleges that raising the communal pitch is a YSR to tell the people “how Hindu Gods and God- Congress conspiracy, outsourced to the MIM, desses were insulted by a Muslim leader” to to sabotage the chances of forming a Telangana incite passions among the uninformed. Clearly state when the Centre’s decision is round the the Urdu to Telugu translation desk of the BJP corner. works more efficiently than that of the Andhra Pradesh police. The BJP is shifting gears fast to maximise the gains made since 28 December, when its lawyer Ironically, it is the ruling Congress that is the filed a case against Owaisi’s hate speech in a Hy- biggest loser politically, despite the government derabad court. The gameplan is to replicate the finally biting the bullet on Owaisi and arrest- campaign strategy employed in the Mahbubna- ing him on Tuesday evening. By not acting for gar assembly by-election last year throughout several days, it came across as an outfit trying Telangana. In that bypoll, the BJP ran a very to save its former ally. The arrest when it hap- communal campaign, polarising the pro-Telan- pened was seen as a reluctant move and gave gana vote on religious lines (TRS had fielded a the impression that the party caved in under Muslim candidate) and won the election. extreme pressure from the BJP and civil society.

What this episode will do is to help MIM polarise the Muslim vote more.

T S Sudhir, Jan 6, 2013

yderabad: “The Nation wants to know” duel with 25 crore Muslims” and sworn to van- went Urdu in Tandur town, 130 km quish them “if the police stayed away for fifteen H from Hyderabad, on Saturday night. minutes”, has pushed the MIM on to the back Asaduddin Owaisi, Hyderabad MP and chief foot. At the same meeting last month, Akbar of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen had spoken of Hindu Gods and Goddesses in an (AIMIM), taunted English television anchors offensive manner, comments that upset not only at a public meeting, poking fun at their mulk the Hindu community, but even the moderates pooch raha hai rhetoric. among the Muslims.

“Television studios have become like court- rooms. Where the anchors ask questions, making it seem like the entire country wants to know the answer. But I will not reply there. I will say what I want before the people,” said Owaisi, as the appreciative all-male gathering of about 5,000 cheered at the Idgah ground.

Owaisi is cheesed off with what he describes as the domination of Twitter by the ‘saffron bri- gade’. “Eighty percent of people on Twitter are from the Sangh Parivar,” he says. The feeling is that this clutch of vocal, vociferous, aggressive twitter handles are increasingly dictating the news rundown on the mainstream media, which The Tandur meeting was the first since Akbar is wrongly treating the chatter on Twitter as the was served notice by the Adilabad and Nizama- voice of India. bad police to appear before them next week. And if the utterances of elder brother Asadud- It almost seemed as if the otherwise media- din Owaisi—the milder of the two—were any friendly Owaisi wanted to vent his spleen at indication, the attempt was to mollify the Hindu different forms of media. During his hour-long community and reduce temperatures. speech, he mentioned YouTube, on which brother Akbaruddin Owaisi’s hate speech went “We are not against Hindus. But we are against viral with over 80,000 hits, some 25 times. So the BJP and Kiran Kumar Reddy,” declared much so that when the police officer indicated Asaduddin Owaisi, linking the BJP’s new found that the stipulated time for the meeting was aggression to what may possibly happen if a over, he said in jest, “Ten minutes are still left Telangana state were to be formed. MIM has on my YouTube.” opposed creation of Telangana state arguing that it will be a communal hotspot with the BJP Are the Owaisis feeling the heat? Their answer likely to flex its muscles to make the minorities is obviously no but the widespread condemna- insecure. tion of Akbaruddin Owaisi’s speech in Adilabad where he had challenged “100 crore Hindus to a Ever since it parted ways with the Congress,

Copyright © 2012 Firstpost the MIM has looked to expand into newer areas liye ek copy khareed le.” (The DVD copies of and grow out of its base in the Old City of Hy- the speeches by Akbaruddin Owaisi at Adila- derabad. The present controversy presents a bad and Nizamabad are available on sale here, challenge in how to ensure Akbar, who is one please buy a copy). The scramble that followed of MIM’s star campaigners and orators, is not is a giveaway to the kind of hysterical adulation disqualified from fighting elections. The bigger Akbar enjoys within his constituency. Ten-year- issue is that its image has taken a beating at a old Mehraj gushed in the crowd every Owaisi time when Asaduddin Owaisi is emerging as a mentioned Akbar, “Hamare hero hai.” (He is national Muslim leader. The party has now once our hero) again been branded as group of rabble-rousers who incite communal passions for the sake of What this episode will do is to help MIM polar- votes. ise the Muslim vote more. If Akbar is arrested or he surrenders in court, he will achieve martyr The dilemma for the MIM is that it knows Ak- status before a crowd that already fawns over bar’s semantics, though terribly over the top, him. It will also help the BJP make inroads into work as well. In Tandur, as soon as Asadud- the Old City of Hyderabad, an area that has din Owaisi finished speaking, an MIM leader been virtually lost to them for a decade now. announced on the mike “Akbaruddin Owaisi The only loser will be Hyderabad that could saab ki Adilabad aur Nizamabad ki speech ki bear the brunt of the games politicians on both DVD bahar stall par mojood hai. Aap apne sides will play.

The Congress is seen as shying away from taking strong action against Akbarudddin Owaisi. Is it because it does not want to lose out on the political vote bank?

FP Staff, Jan 3, 2013

he hate speech of Akbar Owaisi of the were a post-election alliance with the UPA. They MIM party at Adilabad has generated a have done a lot of secular work including elect- T lot of controversy but there is yet to be ing a Dalit mayor in Hyderabad.” any severe action taken against him. In fact, his one-time ally Abid R Khan, General Secretary, However, given the timing of the speech (with APCC almost ended up defending his action impending General election in 2014) was the calling it an aberration. speech communal or political?

There is however ample instances of Owaisi Sandhya Jain, columnist with The Pioneer feels giving incendiary speeches on several ocassions, it is certainly political. She said, “The timing of including a fatwa to behead Bangladeshi writer the speech is very political as Narendra Modi Taslima Nasreen. has just won an election.” According to her, the speech becomes really communal in the country Speaking to CNN-IBN, Abid R Khan said, “We where the ground situation should be commu- have already started the preliminary investiga- nal. tion that went on for the last 10 days and then if he is found guilty then the law will take its She said, “The ground situation allows the situ- course.” It is however, extremely difficult to ation to become volatile.” Such speeches also believe that the investigation took so much time largely encash the insecurity of the minority when the video of the hate speech was circulat- community and that makes it difficult for par- ing in YouTube in the matter of an hour. ties to act against them as they fear risking their election prospects.”They are treated with kid When asked if the party was hesitating in rais- gloves because they are seen as political vote ing their voice against the issue, he said, “They banks,” she added.

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T S Sudhir, Jan 3, 2013

fter the uproar in the social and main- upon the demolition of the Babri Masjid in his stream media over the hate speech speech. No one therefore took a second look at A delivered by Akbaruddin Owaisi in Adi- a speech that was only talking about a 20-year- labad district in Andhra Pradesh on 22 Decem- old issue. ber, the district police have discovered that its sleuths were not sleeping. They had also appar- A fourth version, that looks more closer to the ently recorded the entire two-hour long speech truth is that it was only when the BJP lawyer by the MLA of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul went to court on 28 December and the issue hit Muslimeen (AIMIM) legislature party. When the headlines that the Adilabad police woke up asked why no one took note of the inflammatory and realised that they had slipped up badly. content, each police source had a different version to offer. So late on the night of 2 January, the Nirmal police in Adilabad filed a case under Section 153A, charging Owaisi with promoting enmity between two religious communities. Neighbouring district Nizamabad, where Akbar had reportedly spoken in a similar vein on 8 December, also filed a case against him yesterday evening. Meanwhile, a city court in Hyderabad on Thurs- day asked the city police to file a case, based on a complaint by a local.

All this proved that Bollywood was always right. That the police reach only at the end.

Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has been on silent mode on the hate speech in which there One said none of the intelligence officers were several barbs directed at him, except to say present at the meeting could follow Akbar’s that law will take its own course. In this case, Urdu. Another said as the speech was delivered by taking a 10-day course, the Andhra Pradesh in chaste Urdu, it took time to get it translated police’s image has taken a beating. into Telugu and English before it could be sub- mitted to senior officers. That is a view shared by many senior IPS officers who have worked in communally sensitive Yet another said the intelligence cops had sub- hotspots like the Old city of Hyderabad. Pri- mitted a report to the higher-ups but had done a vately, they admit that by taking a long time to poor job in highlighting the more offensive por- ensure the law of the land prevails, the police tions. They had reportedly stressed on the fact looked as if it was totally unaware of what had that the crowd was very appreciative of Akbar’s happened under its nose. “The police should oratory and that Owaisi junior had touched have taken suo motu action instead of wait-

Copyright © 2012 Firstpost ing for someone to file a case,” says an officer But to reduce this case to just another police who has spent many years in the state intelli- FIR, would be to ignore the significance of the gence department. “By keeping quiet, the police umbilical cord that stays intact between differ- looked as if we were not keen on taking action.” ent political outfits. The MIM was a Congress ally until November, and even though the Ow- This is a charge Andhra Pradesh police chief aisis snapped ties with the party, Hyderabad V Dinesh Reddy denies. He says seeking legal MP Asaduddin Owaisi has several powerful opinion on the sensitive speech took time, argu- friends in the ruling party in Delhi on speed ing that the police have to be careful when deal- dial. In recent months, Owaisi has emerged as ing with a case involving public representatives. a leading national Muslim leader and the Con- gress leadership would still want him on its What he leaves unsaid is that the legal opinion side. And given his proximity to Jaganmohan was taken only after 28 December. But since a Reddy, Owaisi could also help in forging politi- BJP person had gone to court, it meant the po- cal friendships before or after elections. lice had to be careful that it was not just another case of political tu tu mein mein. It also had The YSR Congress understandably has kept to study thoroughly the legal provisions under mum on the controversy. The Telugu Desam has which Owaisi could be booked, lest it fall be- only made a feeble token condemnation indicat- tween two stools. ing that with the election season approaching, the Owaisis will not be political untouchables. “The interpretation is very important in such cases. Whether the speech’s contents could lead On the record, the police denies any political to people getting instigated to indulge in vio- interference. The proof of the pudding will be in lence,” explains MV Bhaskara Rao, former Di- the eating and it will be seen if this controversial rector General of Andhra Pradesh police. “The case too suffers the fate of several other cases police has to check every controversial sentence registered against Akbaruddin Owaisi that are and examine if it is not transgressing on the gathering dust in different police stations. individual’s freedom of speech. The malafide intention has to be established.”

The mere fact that the latest spectrum auctions flopped does not mean A Raja was right with his pricing or that there was no big 2G scam.

PTI, Jan 8, 2013

yderabad: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Mus- As he failed to appear before Nirmal Police limeen (MIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owai- on health grounds yesterday, investigat- H si, facing multiple cases for his alleged ing officer of Nirmal (Rural) A Raghu vis- hate speech, was today arrested by Andhra ited Owaisi’s house in Banjara Hills here last Pradesh Police. evening and found that he looked fit to face questioning,police sources said.

However, Owaisi complained of internal pain and hence was subjected to medical examina- tion by government doctors at Gandhi Hospital today. After getting the medical report, police decided on his arrest, they said.

It was still not clear whether he would be produced before a magistrate in Hyderabad or taken to Nirmal town. Police was tight-lipped about the future course of action as they fear it may create law and order problem.

As the news of his arrest spread, hundreds of Owaisi, who was subjected to medical examina- MIM workers and his supporters gathered in tion at the Gandhi Hospital here for his fitness front of Gandhi Hospital. Police had a tough status, is expected to be taken to Nirmal town time in controlling the protesters and prevent- in Adilabad district, where a case was registered ing them from gatecrashing into the hospital. against him for the alleged provocative speech. Police have already intensified security arrange- He arrived from London yesterday and had ments in the city, particularly in Old City — a sought four days to appear before the police stronghold of MIM – by deploying additional on medical grounds. He was also booked un- forces as a precautionary measure. der relevant sections of IPC by Nizamabad and Osmania University police here for the alleged hate speeches.

Prohibitory orders have been imposed in the town to maintain law and order in view of the MIM leader’s arrest.

PTI, Jan 9, 2013

yderabad: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Mus- heavy security at around 9.45 pm, police said. limeen MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, fac- H ing multiple cases for his alleged “hate “The MIM MLA was brought to Nirmal police speech”, was on Tuesday remanded to 14 day station after his arrest. His statement is being judicial custody by a magistrate in Nirmal town recorded by the investigating Officer at the po- of Adilabad district. lice station,” Adilabad SP Sarvashresta Tripathi told PTI over phone.

Asked when Owaisi would be produced before a Magistrate, Tripathi said, “The Investigating Of- ficer will take a call on it as the process of police inquiry is still underway. It is a legal process. The Investigating Officer will decide about it.”

Three MIM MLAs and Owaisi’s counsel ac- companied the the leader, who returned from London yesterday, to Nirmal town. Prohibitory orders have been imposed in the town to maintain law and order in view of the MIM leader’s arrest. Additional security forces have been de- ployed in Hyderabad and Adilabad as a precau- Akbaruddin was reportedly questioned and pro- tionary measure. duced before the magistrate at 5:30, after which he was sent to judicial Owaisi, who was subjected to medical examina- custody. The Magistrate also asked the police to tion at the Gandhi Hospital here for his fitness produce the MLA before the court later today at status, was straightaway taken under high se- 10:30 am. curity in a convoy of cars to Nirmal town. Ow- aisi, the floor leader of his party in the Andhra Hours after his arrest, police in Adilabad dis- Pradesh Assembly, is facing a case against him trict of Andhra Pradesh began questioning MIM in Adilabad for alleged provocative speeches MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi in one of the cases regarding the disputed Bhagyalakshmi shrine in related to alleged “hate speech” filed against the Charminar area. him there. Complaints have been filed against him in re- After being taken into custody from Gandhi gard to the same speeches in various police sta- Hospital in Hyderabad on Tueday, the 42-year- tions in Hyderabad andother parts of the state. old legislator was brought to Nirmal town in Adilabad, about 200 km from here, amidst

The mere fact that the latest spectrum auctions flopped does not mean A Raja was right with his pricing or that there was no big 2G scam.

FP Staff, Jan 9, 2013

kbaruddin Owaisi, who has been re- Section 298: Uttering words, etc., with delib- manded to 14 days in judicial custody erate intent to wound religious feelings A for his communal speech, is hoping for relief from the Andhra Pradesh High court Section 153 A: Promoting enmity between dif- today where two petitions challenging his arrest ferent groups on grounds of religion, race, place could come up for hearing. However, his sup- of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing porters weren’t willing to wait for the result of acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony the hearing and protested against his arrest by damaging vans belonging to news media outlets Section 121: Waging, or attempting to wage that had gone to Adilabad to cover the news of war, or abetting waging of war, against the Gov- his arrest. ernment of India

Owaisi, a state legislator representing the All Owaisi was arrested amidst high drama yes- India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), was terday from a Hyderabad hospital where he arrested yesterday in a Hyderabad hospital and was taken for a check-up, after he claimed he taken to Adilabad. He was produced before a was unfit and sought time to appear before the court where he was remanded to judicial cus- police. tody for 14 days. The MIM legislator had earlier gone to London His supporters turned on media vans in Adi- for treatment after the cases were filed against labad today and damaged windshields of the him. vehicles with stones, CNN-IBN reported. Watch Video The police has imposed prohibitory orders in Adilabad following the MLAs arrest.

Three FIRs have been filed against Owaisi for his alleged use of inflammatory language against a particular community in speeches he made at public gatherings in December 2012. The speeches were widely shared on social networks and it was only after outrage following the speeches that the cases were registered against him.

He has been charged under the following sections:

Section 295 A: Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.

A division bench comprising Sanjay Kumar and L Narasimha Reddy said the court could not interfere as the matter relates to freedom of expression

IANS, Jan 9, 2013

he Andhra Pradesh high court has dis- L Narasimha Reddy said the court could not missed a petition seeking directions interfere as the matter relates to freedom of T to YouTube to remove controversial expression. The court advised the petitioner to speeches of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen move the YouTube office in New York, if he had (MIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi from the any objection to the site’s content. popular website. JVS Rama Rao, an advocate, had filed the petition on the basis that that the circulation of the alleged hate speeches over YouTube might create law and order problems.

The petitioner said the speeches were highly inflammatory and hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community.

Akbaruddin Owaisi, a member of the Andhra Pradesh assembly, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a speech he had made at Nir- mal town in Adilabad district.

A court in Nirmal sent him to judicial custody A division bench comprising Sanjay Kumar and for 14 days.

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