By Elishya Perera
NEW DELHI (CWBN)_ Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the Telangana unit chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Tuesday (Nov 24) that his Party would remove Pakistanis and Rohingyas in Hyderabad, by conducting a surgical strike in the Old City area.
He claimed that the BJP would do so after the he wins the mayoral post in the upcoming civic elections which will be held on December 1.
The Old City of Hyderabad has a significant Muslim population, with nearly 5,000 Rohingya refugees. The area is considered to be an All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) stronghold, and the party has been accused of helping Rohingya refugees to obtain voter identity and Aadhaar (a unique identity number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India), and securing votes in return.
Kumar claimed that the elections should be held in Hyderabad after Pakistani, Afghan and Rohingya voters are removed, pointing out that the BJP supports 80 per cent of Hindus.
Asaduddin Owaisi, the President of the AIMIM, who has been accused by the BJP for speaking Pakistan founder’s language of “rabid Islamism, separatism, and extremism”, criticised the recent comments.
“He [BJP leader] said they will conduct surgical strikes and flush out Pakistanis and Rohingyas. I want to ask BJP on whom you would conduct surgical strikes? These [those living in the Old City] are Indian only.” Instead, Owaisi challenged the BJP to conduct surgical strikes on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army which he said had occupied Indian territory.
Meanwhile, TRS working President KT Rama Rao were among those who denounced claims made by Kumar, calling his comments reprehensible.
Nevertheless, Kumar insisted that a surgical strike on “illegal infiltrators” was inevitable.
