Union Minister Sanjay Kumar challenges T'gana CM to make Owaisi offer prayer at temple

Hyderabad, Nov 6 (PTI) Slamming Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Congress leaders for wearing skullcaps during the campaign for November 11 Jubilee Hills assembly bypoll, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Thursday said the CM should answer whether the Owaisis ever offered prayers at the Bhagya Lakshmi temple here.

If Reddy has courage, he should get AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi to perform 'arti' at the temple, he said.

Observing that the Constitution and Election Commission are same for all, Kumar urged the EC to check faces before voting, referring to 'burqa-clad women'.

Addressing a rally here on Thursday night in favour of BJP candidate L Deepak Reddy, Kumar said the Hindus in Jubilee Hills should become a "vote bank" and ensure victory. If the Congress or BRS candidates win, the Hindus can't celebrate festivals, he said.

Revanth Reddy, who was wearing the skullcap, should make Azharuddin recite prayer and have 'tilak', the union minister said.

"Bhagya Lakshmi temple is there in the old city. Did Akbaruddin Owaisi or Asaduddin Owaisi ever had 'darshan' there and broke a coconut or offered 'arti'. Revanth Reddy should think about it and answer. They don't pray or have 'tilak'. Shamelessly, these people (Congress leaders) wear caps and are greedy for their votes," Kumar said.

Recalling that Hindus were killed after being identified by their religion in the Pahalgam terror attack, he said it should be checked whether the Congress leaders wearing skullcaps are real Hindus or have Pakistan in their DNA.

Akbaruddin Owaisi had said that "whether it is Reddy or Rao", they should follow him. The Congress and BRS leaders should be ashamed after such remarks, the union minister claimed.

Alleging that the Congress and BRS leaders were offering inducements like grinders to Muslim women voters, he said Muslim women are "our daughters". They treat Prime Minister Narendra Modi as their elder brother, he said.

"But, you know what Revanth Reddy sir did? He got 40,000 'burqas' from Pakistan. Because they are trying to get bogus votes cast by them. The Muslim women here should be careful," he said.

Alleging that the Congress is trying to consolidate Muslim vote bank in Jubilee Hills, he asked whether Hindus would become a vote bank or not.

Referring to objections raised to the installation of a statue of Shivaji Maharaj, he said: "If Naveen Khan (Congress candidate Naveen Yadav) or Sunita Begum (BRS nominee Maganti Sunita) wins here, your community halls would become mosques or Dargahs. If Bakrid comes, blood (due to animal sacrifice) will flow in the streets. You cannot celebrate Vinayaka Chaviti or Dussehra, Hanuman Jayanti or Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj".

"Owaisi is dreaming to make this country an Islamic state by 2047. Also, he and Revanth Reddy are making conspiracies to make Telangana Islamic," Kumar said.

If non-BJP parties win one seat here (Jubilee Hills), the situation of Hindus in Telangana would be such that "they have to beg", he said.

He also claimed that BRS Working President K T Rama Rao does not want his father KCR to become Chief Minister again. PTI SJR GDK SJR KH