"Masood Azhar is not a Maulana but Satan," says Asaduddin Owaisi

Mumbai: The Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed was the biggest failure of the Narendra Modi government, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said in Mumbai on Saturday.

Addressing a massive poll rally with Dalit leader and Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh president Prakash Ambedkar, Mr Owaisi also slammed Pakistan and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) founder Masood Azhar. JeM has owned responsibility for the attack. “The Pulwama attack is a political, bureaucratic and intelligence failure,” he said.

“Masood Azhar is not a maulana (cleric) but satan. Pakistan should remember that when it’s the question of our country, we (Indians) are all one,” he said.

Saying that the Pakistan government was responsible for the terror attack, he said the neighbouring country should not worry about Indian Muslims as they chose to remain here ignoring (Pakistan founder) Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Slamming both the ruling as well as prominent opposition parties in Maharashtra, Mr Owaisi said this was the last chance to ensure the BJP and Congress did not come to power again.

Muslims should not support the Congress as the party has only caused trouble for the community, he said.

Ambedkar, who has formed an electoral tie-up with AIMIM, alleged that the BJP government was diverting 35 TMC water of the Tapi river to Gujarat rather than utilising it for drought-affected areas of Marathwada in Maharashtra.

“This water could have solved the water woes of Aurangabad,” he said.

“The condition of tribals is deteriorating. The government is not concerned about the “vanchit” (deprived) community. We will solve their issues,” Ambedkar said.