I can see a clear pattern in the recent arrest of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi. Popular political leaders as long as they are in the ruling Congress party or are alliance partners they are safe and secure. But as soon as they part ways from the party or the government, they are subjected to all kinds of charges framed against them. It is not only Owaisi who has become the only victim of this vendetta politics there are many others like him who are paying the price for upsetting the “rulers.”
The most popular face in Andhra Pradesh politics, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, president of YSR Congress party, did not have any case against him until he decided to part ways from the Congress party.
As soon as he quit the party, a case was filed against him and for the last few months he has been languishing in jail.
Even in the past, the former chairman of India Premier League Lait Modi didn’t have any allegations of irregularities against him until he accused Shashi Tharoor, former junior external affairs minister of influencing bidding process of the IPL franchise. In the latest case also there wasn’t any major case against the Owaisi brothers until they decided to withdraw support from the Congress-led government at the center. As soon as they did that they faced the music. Junior Owaisi was recently arrested in a hate speech case. I too have watched the video and I don’t find anything provocative in it. In the video Owaisi is seen to be appealing to Muslims to set aside their differences and become united. The case is not as strong as it is made out to be in the media. I don’t know what will be the fate of Owaisi but all these episodes of vendetta politics have exposed the real face of the Congress-led government at the center and in the state. — Mohammed Abdul Majid, Hyderabad
Hate speech and vendetta politics
