Owaisi questions RSS role in India's freedom struggle

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jan 13 (PTI) AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has questioned the contribution of RSS in India's freedom struggle and alleged that Sangh founder K B Hedgewar was jailed not for opposing British rule but for supporting the 'Khilafat movement'.

Addressing a rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Monday ahead of the municipal corporation polls scheduled on January 15, he denied the presence of Bangladeshis in the region and claimed that if any Bangladeshi migrants were found here, it would reflect the failure of the Narendra Modi government.

He criticised the ruling BJP for using such narratives to push its Hindutva agenda and distract from governance failures.

Targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Owaisi said, "Is there any RSS leader who has been to jail fighting against the British?" "They say that Hedgewar was imprisoned, but he went to jail in support of the Khilafat movement. And today they speak of hatred against Muslims," he claimed.

"RSS gives us the knowledge of patriotism, but did anyone from them lose their lives against the Britishers? Instead, (socialist leader) Yusuf Meherally of Mumbai gave the slogans of 'Quit India' and 'Simon Go back'. They don't read the history and accuse us of being Bangladeshis," he charged.

The Khilafat movement (1919 to 1924) was an agitation by Muslims to pressure the British government to preserve the authority of the Ottoman Sultan as Caliph (spiritual leader) of Islam after World War I.

Owaisi targeted the government, saying that despite having police, intelligence, and border control, it failed to complete even a 10-km fence along the Bangladesh border.

"China and ISI have reached Bangladesh, and the BJP and RSS are saying 'Bangladesh-Bangladesh' here," he added.

He appealed to the people to vote in large numbers in the upcoming municipal elections, emphasising that a strong turnout would serve as proof of their participation when the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) takes place in Maharashtra.

The authority to question citizenship lies with the Home Ministry as per the Citizenship Act, "but the Modi government has given these responsibilities to the Election Commission," Owaisi alleged.

Former AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel challenged state Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s claim that the party would be wiped out in the elections here.

"I challenge you (Shinde) that if this happens here, I will shave my beard. But if it does not happen, you should be ready to use a razor for the same," he added. PTI AW GK