Bhuj: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi declared on Thursday that India cannot emerge as a "Vishwaguru" until Muslims secure justice and equality, urging Bhuj voters to bolster community political leadership ahead of local body polls.
Addressing a public rally, Owaisi asserted: "If this country is to become a Vishwaguru or a superpower, it cannot happen until Muslims of India get their rights."
He called for support of AIMIM candidates in Bhuj municipality and Kutch taluka panchayats, saying: "Use your precious vote to strengthen our political leadership in Bhuj, Kutch and across Gujarat."
Targeting BJP, Congress, and RSS, Owaisi accused them of spreading lies about AIMIM, insisting his party's goal was to fortify democracy and constitutional faith. Invoking Dr BR Ambedkar's Constitution, he warned that ideals of liberty, equality, justice, and fraternity would remain "mere words on paper" without minority-led politics.
"For 70 years, we have only been voters. Because of that, we have fallen behind in every field," he said, citing deficits in schools, hospitals, and sanitation in Muslim areas. "A leader will not fall from the sky. A poor man’s son or daughter from among you will rise and change the condition of the community."
Owaisi highlighted AIMIM's Hyderabad initiatives—hospitals, colleges, and affordable services—built through public mandate. Dismissing claims that AIMIM aids BJP, he cited support for Badruddin Ajmal in Assam and DMK in Tamil Nadu.
He lambasted Modi government laws since 2014 as discriminatory: CAA for religion-based citizenship, Triple Talaq criminalisation oppressing Muslim women, Waqf amendments risking seizure of mosques and graveyards, and the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) infringing Article 25's religious freedoms.
"If a Muslim wants to marry or distribute property, they will be told not to follow Shariat but other laws. This is a direct violation of Article 25. How can you impose the laws of one religion on another? This is not equality, this is injustice," he said, criticising Gujarat's recent UCC Bill.
Owaisi also slammed Gujarat's "bulldozer actions," asking Hindu brothers: "I want to ask my Hindu brothers, what will you gain if Muslim houses and mosques are razed? What will you gain from our loss?" He quipped: " This country will be run by ‘Baba’s’ (Dr B R Ambedkar) Constitution, not by ‘Dada’s Bulldozer’."
Polling is set for April 26 across 34 district panchayats, 260 taluka panchayats, 84 municipalities, and 15 corporations including Ahmedabad, Surat, and Rajkot; counting follows on April 28.
(Inputs from PTI)