Bandi Sanjay Slams Telangana CM Over Remarks on Owaisi Brothers' Patriotism

Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday strongly criticized Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad over his remarks equating the patriotism of AIMIM leaders Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Reddy had stated on Thursday that AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and his brother, MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, were no less patriotic than the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister. In response, Sanjay questioned how actions such as the AIMIM's alleged opposition to the full version of Vande Mataram, the abrogation of Article 370, and the Citizenship Amendment Act could be classified as patriotic.

Taking to social media platform X, Sanjay remarked that under what he termed the "Revanth Reddy School of Patriotism," walking out on Vande Mataram could earn someone a distinction. He alleged that Sonia Gandhi is uncomfortable with the full version of the national song and pointed out that Owaisi and AIMIM legislators routinely walk out when the full song is sung.

Sanjay also cited a controversial speech delivered by Akbaruddin Owaisi in 2013, wherein the AIMIM MLA allegedly claimed it would take only 15 minutes to balance the Hindu-Muslim ratio in the country if the police were removed. Sanjay posted a purported video clip of that speech and questioned whether such statements could be considered an expression of love for the nation.

The Union Minister further questioned the Owaisi brothers' repeated criticisms of the Central government's national security policies, along with their remarks concerning Hindu deities and beliefs. He also raised concerns regarding alleged terror links involving individuals connected to institutions run by the Owaisi family, asking if seeking answers about those ties was now being treated as anti-patriotic.

Additionally, Sanjay raised civic allegations, asserting that institutions linked to Asaduddin Owaisi's family had been constructed on encroached lake land, and asked whether that record would simply disappear. He noted that people in Telangana had witnessed the politics, speeches, and statements of the Owaisis for decades and asserted that a political certificate from the Chief Minister could not erase that history.

Addressing the political contradictions within the Congress party, Sanjay said the Chief Minister should first clarify his stance to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had previously accused the AIMIM of assisting the BJP. Sanjay concluded by questioning whether Rahul Gandhi was wrong about the AIMIM and added that the Chief Minister had now contradicted his own party's leader.