All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi criticized Karimnagar Bandi MP Sanjay Kumar, questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) nationalist claims of cutting Russian oil supplies and said a vote for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi would help the BJP.
Mr. Owaisi was addressing a public meeting in Karimnagar where the party has fielded 15 candidates for the upcoming municipal elections. He said the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh must explain their silence after the US reportedly warned of re-imposition of 25% ad valorem duty if India continued to buy Russian oil, directly or indirectly.
He was trying to find out where BJP’s nationalism was when a “white-skinned” foreign leader threatened India’s sovereign economic decisions. He argued that India had cut back on Russian oil imports while China benefited from buying cheaper oil.
On local issues, Mr. Owaisi said despite Karimnagar being listed as a Smart City, basic infrastructure such as roads, sewerage and electricity remained inadequate, with Muslim localities being particularly neglected. He also claimed that 25 houses were demolished in the city overnight on the orders of the local MLA.
Taking a swipe at Karimnagar legislator Gangula Kamalakar, Mr. Owaisi said that he had retained his seat in the Assembly earlier only because of AIMIM’s support. He warned that the legislature would gravitate towards the BJP after the elections and argued that a vote for BRS in Karimnagar would effectively help the BJP. He appealed to voters not to support such candidates, calling it a waste of their mandate.
Mr. Owaisi also urged mosque committees and Muslim scholars to speak out against a special intensive revision of electoral rolls. He alleged that the BJP intended to harass and disenfranchise Muslims not through the Citizenship Amendment Act, NRC or NPR, but through the SIR process.
Published – 08 Feb 2026 20:37 IST
