Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Jul 8: AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has strongly criticised Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju over his recent statement claiming that India is the only country where minorities enjoy more benefits and protections than the majority.
Responding with sharp words, Owaisi stated that India’s minorities are no longer second-class citizens, but “hostages”, highlighting what he called the growing marginalisation and vilification of minority communities in the country.
In a post on X, Owaisi wrote:
“India’s minorities are not even second-class citizens anymore. We are hostages.”
Calling Rijiju’s remark misleading and offensive, the AIMIM chief reminded the minister of his constitutional responsibility, stating that minority rights are fundamental rights, not acts of state benevolence.
“Is it a ‘benefit’ to be called Pakistani, Bangladeshi, jihadi, or Rohingya every day? Is it ‘protection’ to be lynched? Is it a privilege to watch our homes, masjids, and mazaars bulldozed illegally? To be made invisible socially, politically, and economically? This is not protection — it’s persecution,” Owaisi said.
He further questioned Rijiju’s understanding of equality and fairness, highlighting discriminatory policies and institutional exclusions. “Can Muslims be members of Hindu Endowment Boards? No. But under your Waqf Amendment Act, non-Muslims can be part of Waqf Boards and even form a majority. Is that equality?” he asked.
Owaisi accused the government of rolling back scholarships and fellowships that once supported Muslim students. “You discontinued the Maulana Azad National Fellowship, defunded the pre-matric scholarship, and restricted the post-matric and merit-cum-means schemes — all because they benefitted Muslim students.”
Citing government data, Owaisi stated that Muslims are now the only community whose participation in higher education has declined, while their dependence on the informal economy has increased. He added that Muslim-concentrated areas remain deprived of public infrastructure and basic services.
“Intergenerational mobility has reversed. Our children are now worse off than their parents or grandparents. That’s your economic legacy for India’s Muslims,” he said.
Rejecting comparisons with minorities in other countries, Owaisi stressed that India’s Muslims are not seeking privileges, but only what is promised under the Constitution — social, economic, and political justice.
“We are not asking for more than what the majority community gets. We are demanding exactly what the Constitution guarantees,” he concluded.