Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi launched a scathing attack on Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday over his recent remarks suggesting that minorities in India receive more benefits than the Hindu majority.
Rijiju had stated, “Whatever Hindus get, minorities get too. But what minorities get, Hindus don’t.” Reacting sharply, Owaisi took to social media platform X, posting: “You are a Minister of the Indian Republic, not a monarch. You occupy a constitutional office, not a throne. Minority rights are fundamental rights, not charity.”
Owaisi further questioned whether being called “Pakistani, Bangladeshi, jihadi, or Rohingya” on a daily basis could be considered a “benefit.” He also condemned incidents of mob lynching and targeted abductions of Indian citizens forced into Bangladesh, asking whether such actions constituted “protection.”
His remarks come amid increasing concerns over rising hate crimes, the demolition of Muslim neighbourhoods, reductions in minority scholarships, and controversial changes to Waqf Board governance. Referring specifically to the Waqf Amendment Act of 2023, Owaisi accused the government of deliberately eroding Muslim institutions.
“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 said.
The amendment removed the requirement that Waqf Board members must belong to the Muslim community—an essential provision that minority leaders argue ensured community oversight over Waqf properties, which are charitable religious endowments intended for the welfare of Muslims.
Owaisi also criticised the government for withdrawing the Maulana Azad National Fellowship and slashing funds for pre-matric, post-matric, and merit-cum-means scholarships, which predominantly supported Muslim students. “All because they benefited Muslim students,” he alleged.
Citing government data, Owaisi pointed out that Muslims are the only community whose representation in higher education has declined. He noted that the community has seen a rise in participation in the informal economy and was among the worst hit by recent economic decisions.
“Indian Muslims are the only group whose children are poorer than their parents or grandparents. Inter-generational mobility has reversed,” he said, concluding that minorities in India are not seeking charity but demanding “social, economic, and political justice.”