On Eid Milad eve, Owaisi slams RSS, BJP: 'They wanted Manusmriti, not Ambedkar's Constitution' | Watch

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has launched a scathing attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing them of historically preferring the 'Manusmriti' over the Indian Constitution.

Addressing the Jalsa-e-Rahmatul-lil-Alameen at Darussalam on the occasion of the eve Eid Milad-un-Nabi, the Hyderabad MP questioned the RSS's commitment to the document drafted by Dr. BR Ambedkar.

"I am asking those associated with the RSS about Manusmriti. Is it not true that on November 26, 1949, we adopted the Constitution? Yet, four days later, on November 30, a mouthpiece of the RSS published a complaint against it, stating that it wasn't a constitution at all and that it should have been the Manusmriti. They had issues with the Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar," Owaisi, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president, said.

The Manusmriti, usually translated as ‘code of Manu’is basically a Hindu scripture authored by a medieval ascetic named Manu and has widely been criticised for its gender and caste-based provisions.

Eid Milad-un-Nabi

Eid Milad-un-Nabi (also known as Mawlid al-Nabi) commemorates the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad. Celebrated on the 12th day of Rabi' al-awwal, the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar, the day falls on 26 August, Wednesday this year.

Owaisi also targeted Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, contrasting his actions in the Andaman Cellular Jail with those of Muslim freedom fighters.

"Savarkar was in support of Manusmriti. While he was in Andaman jail, he was writing letters to the British, saying, 'I am with you, please release me.' But what were we doing? Allama Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi was also in jail; he endured hardships but never wrote a 'love letter' to the British. Instead, he issued a fatwa for Jihad against them. Even today, his grave stands in Andaman as a testament," he asserted.

Owaisi claimed that the first prisoner sent to the Andaman Islands was a cleric from Hyderabad.

"Listen, BJP and RSS people, who was the first prisoner in Andaman? It was not your father, grandfather, or ancestor. It was Hyderabad's Maulvi Alauddin, the Imam of Mecca Masjid. He was the first prisoner," Owaisi told the gathering.

Intensifying political slugfest over Manusmriti

The AIMIM president's remarks come in the backdrop of an intensifying political slugfest between the BJP and the Congress. The ruling party recently launched a scathing attack on the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over his comments regarding the Manusmriti.

The BJP accused the Congress leader of repeatedly making statements that undermine India's traditions, cultural heritage, and democratic institutions, with several party leaders, including Chief Ministers, alleging that Gandhi's remarks were an attempt to "belittle" India's civilizational values.

At an event, "Chhatron ki Goonj' at Pune, Rahul Gandhi strongly criticised a quote attributed to the Manusmriti during the program, highlighting its problematic stance on women's independence.

Gandhi quoted the Manusmriti, stating, "In childhood, a female belongs to her father. In youth, she belongs to her husband. When her lord is dead, she belongs to her sons. A woman must never be independent." He unequivocally condemned these words, asserting, "This is a direct quote from the Manusmriti, and these words are a shame, because these words should never ever have been spoken."

Congress MP called for a decisive end to patriarchal structures, stating that the country needs to "smash the prevailing patriarchy" to truly empower women, while addressing female students at the event.

(With agency inputs)