Remarks come amid Bareilly poster row, internet suspended in 4 districts
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday questioned why saying “I love Muhammad” in India is being objected to, while saying “I love Modi” is celebrated. His remarks came as Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly remains on edge following violence over the “I Love Muhammad” posters last week.
“In this country, one can say ‘I love Modi’ but not ‘I love Mohammad’. Where are you taking this nation? If someone says ‘I love Modi’, the media also becomes happy. If someone says ‘I love Mohammad’, then that is objected to. If I am a Muslim, it is because of Muhammad,” Owaisi said at a speech in Hyderabad.
Bareilly under watch
The UP administration suspended internet services across four districts of Bareilly division on Thursday, deploying heavy security amid Dussehra festivities and the upcoming Friday prayers. PAC and RAF personnel have been stationed on the ground, while drones are monitoring sensitive areas.
Over 2,000 protestors had gathered outside a mosque in Bareilly after Friday prayers last week to oppose police action on “I Love Muhammad” posters. The protest turned violent with stone-pelting and clashes. Police lathi-charged the crowd, several officers were injured, and at least 81 arrests were made.
Political and clerical responses
The row began after an FIR was filed in Kanpur on September 9 against the installation of “I Love Muhammad” boards during a Barawafat procession. Owaisi earlier defended the posters, saying: “If there is an ‘I Love Mahadev’ group then what is the problem? What is anti-national here?”
Meanwhile, the senior cleric of Ala Hazrat Dargah in Bareilly appealed to Muslims to offer Friday prayers peacefully and return home immediately.