Mumbai:
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday accused the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) of repeatedly misleading Indian Muslims and trying to poison their minds.
His statement comes in the wake of AIMIM leader Waris Pathan’s alleged ’15 crore Muslims can be heavy on 100 crore’ remark he recently made in Karnataka.
“Who has given you the right to become leader of Muslims in the country?” Raut told reporters in Delhi.
“The Shiv Sena is in power in Maharashtra and hence it is exercising restraint,” he added.
“What is your stature in Maharashtra? The state’s Muslims are with the MVA government. AIMIM is repeatedly misleading Indian Muslims and trying to poison their minds.
If such comments are repeated, Shiv Sena will respond in the same language,” Raut said.
NCP spokesman and Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik condemned Pathan’s remarks.
“We condemn Pathan’s divisive and inflammatory comments. Is there a fixed match between AIMIM and BJP for making communal remarks?” he said.
Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant also slammed Pathan over his remarks and said, “AIMIM and BJP are two sides of the same coin. AIMIM is pushing the agenda of communal polarisation at BJP’s instance.”
Pathan had purportedly made the remarks while addressing an anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) rally at Kalaburagi in North Karnataka on February 16.
“Now time has come, we are told that we have sent our mothers and sisters in the front and were sitting covered in blanket…only our lionesses have come out and you are already sweating, understand what will happen if we come together. (We may be) 15 crore, but are heavy on 100 (crore), remember it,” Pathan can be purportedly heard saying.
