In a retort to the BJP, Hyderabad Member of Parliament (MP) and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said that Minister of State for Home Affairs and BJP MP from Secunderabad, Kishan Reddy, should be immediately sacked from his post for his “failure” in preventing ‘Pakistanis and Rohingya Muslims from illegally staying in Hyderabad.’  

Owaisi was responding to remarks made by Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay, who had alleged that there were many Pakistani, Rohingya and Afghani Muslims illegally staying in Hyderabad, who enjoyed voting privileges. Sanjay said that if the BJP wins the Mayor’s post in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal (GHMC) elections, they will do a “surgical strike” in Old City (a Muslim-dominated area) and kick out the Rohingyas and Pakistanis.  

“I have only one question for the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. For the past six and half years, you are governing the country. And from Secunderabad, your party member is an MP and he is the Minister of State for Home Affairs. If there are Pakistanis and Rohingyas in Hyderabad, what has your Minister been doing for the past one and half year? Was the MoS Home Affairs sleeping? Didn’t he know that there are Rohingyas here?” Owaisi questioned, challenging the claims of the BJP. 

Owaisi said that the BJP is trying to flare up communal tension and trying to win elections by spreading hatred. “If your party is saying that there are Pakistanis in Old City, then I want to tell you that Secunderabad MP and the minister from your cabinet has proved to be inefficient. He should be sacked from the cabinet immediately. He should offer his resignation for allowing Pakistanis and Rohingyas to stay in Hyderabad illegally.” 

Stating that the BJP cites the Rohingyas and “rabid islamization” only during elections, he questioned where were Karnataka MP Tejasvi Surya and Union Minister Smriti Irani when Hyderabad suffered devastation due to the floods in October.