Hyderabad recorded a temperature of 40.9 degrees on Monday. But the political temperature was much higher, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking on Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on his home turf.
“The car (poll symbol of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti) is bekaar (useless) because its steering wheel is in the hands of the MIM,” charged Modi. He claimed only one side of the Musi river that flows through Hyderabad has seen development, suggesting that the Old city which is Owaisi constituency is still stuck with its gallian (lanes) and naale (drains) because MIM does not understand the language of development.
The political language took a downward turn soon after with Akbaruddin Owaisi, the leader of the MIM Legislature party in the Telangana assembly, taking umbrage. He fired on all cylinders, repeatedly referring to Modi as “chaiwalla” and “chowkidaar”.
But wiser from the time that he had to spend in jail in early 2013 for his speech, seen as communally inflammatory, Akbar was careful this time not to cross the line of the law. Wearing patriotism on his sleeve, he pointed out that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) that developed the A-SAT missile was located in Kanchanbagh in Owaisi’s Hyderabad constituency.
How will this face-off reflect on the ground in the Telangana capital? UmaSudhir.com spoke to Bhagvanth Rao, the BJP candidate who will take on Asaduddin Owaisi in Hyderabad. Rao accuses Owaisi of practising votebank politics, of doing works only for the Muslims in Hyderabad old city while ignoring the majority community.
Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency has always seen polarisation between the Hindi and Muslim votebanks, with the BJP finishing second to Owaisi in previous elections. The stage seems to have been set to ensure it is no different this time. Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted that he will give a “bhadkau” (volatile, inflammatory) speech on 2 April but while staying within the Model Code of Conduct.
See the face-off between Narendra Modi and Akbaruddin Owaisi here.
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