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Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi were engaged in a heated argument on social media on Monday, July 7, over the living conditions of members of minority religions in India.
The online spat began with an interview published by The Indian Express, in which the Union Minister claimed that the minority communities are receiving more funds and support from the government than Hindus. Sharing the interview on his X account, Minister Kiren Rijiju wrote, “India is the only country where the minorities get more benefits and protections than the majority community!”
Owaisi claps back
Countering his statements, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi launched a scathing attack, reminding Rijiju that he was a minister of a Republic country and not a monarch.
“You hold a constitutional post, not a throne. Minority rights are fundamental rights, not charity,” Owaisi wrote.
Rijiju had said that his government has increased the Haj quota from 1.36 lakh in 2014 to 1.75 lakh in 2025. The Ladies Without Mehram (LWM) category was introduced in Haj 2018 and expanded. In 2024, the number of women who performed Haj under the LWM category is 4,558, he said.
It must be noted that Owaisi has long opposed the subsidies offered to Haj pilgrims and insisted that these funds be instead used for the education and upliftment of Muslim girls.
The AIMIM president reminded the Minister about the persecution that Muslim minorities have been facing under the BJP-led Union government.
“Is it a ‘benefit’ to be called Pakistani, Bangladeshi, jihadi, or Rohingya every single day? Is it ‘protection’ to be lynched? Is it protection that Indian citizens were kidnapped and pushed into Bangladesh?” he asked. In fact, the Union government is facing accusations of abducting Muslim citizens and pushing them to Bangladesh on allegations of being illegal migrants.
The Hyderabad MP listed out the alleged criminal State action carried out with impunity against Muslims such as demolition of houses, masjids, and mazaars under the pretext of encroachments. He also countered the claim of equal status for minorities and the majority Hindu community, pointing out that in the Waqf Board, Hindus are allowed to be members, while Muslims cannot be members in the Hindu Endowments Board.
“Is it a privilege to watch our homes, masjids, and mazaars being bulldozed illegally? To be made socially, politically, and economically invisible? Is it an ‘honour’ to be the target of hate speeches from no less than the Prime Minister of India? India’s minorities are not even second-class citizens anymore. We are hostages. If you want to talk about ‘favours’, answer this: can Muslims be members of Hindu Endowment Boards? No. But your Waqf Amendment Act forces non-Muslims onto Waqf Boards — and allows them to form a majority.”
He also strongly criticised the discontinuation of the Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Muslim students.
“You discontinued the Maulana Azad National Fellowship. You defunded the pre-matric scholarship. You limited the post-matric and merit-cum-means scholarships. All because they benefited Muslim students. Muslims are now the only group whose numbers have fallen in higher education. Their presence in the informal economy has gone up,” he said.
Minister’s justifications
In the interview, Rijiju said that they have discontinued the fellowship due to an ongoing inquiry on misappropriation of funds: “We are reviewing it. You have to understand the whole thing. There is a scholarship for minorities, and then there is a scholarship for SCs and STs. Three or four years ago, there was a huge bundling of funds. In the minority institutions, thousands of fake names were submitted and money was taken in the name of scholarships. Then, cases were registered in different states. The case is in its final stages. Because of that, there are certain rational approaches being done.”
“Second, we have to ensure there is no duplication. Suppose one is a tribal, they can’t take the scholarship for minorities. Then, there are STs who are Christians and SCs who are professing Islam. That means you have to rationalise it. There were lakhs of cases where some agencies misused provisions in the name of students. Things are in better shape and they will be alright,” Rijiju said.
Following Owaisi’s rebuttal, Rijiju responded by saying, “How come minorities from our neighbouring countries prefer to come to India and our minorities don't migrate? Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji’s welfare schemes are for all. The schemes of the Ministry of Minority Affairs provide additional benefits to the minorities.”
Owaisi replied that minorities never fled the country despite various massacres and have continued to fight for justice. He also urged the Minister to stop making comparisons of India with “failed states” like Pakistan and Bangladesh.
“According to the Honourable Minister Against Minorities [sic], if we don’t migrate, it means we are happy. Actually, we are not in the habit of fleeing; we did not run away from the British, we did not run away during partition, and we did not run away because of massacres in Jammu, Nellie, Gujarat, Moradabad, Delhi. Our history is proof that we neither collaborate with our oppressors nor do we hide from them. We know how to fight for our democratic rights and we will, inshallah. Stop comparing our great nation with failed states like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka.”