Overview
- At events in Solapur and Nagpur, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi reiterated that India’s Constitution allows any citizen to hold top posts and said he dreams of a hijab-wearing woman becoming prime minister.
- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma acknowledged the constitutional allowance but said he is certain India’s prime minister will always be Hindu, while Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane declared such leadership would not happen and told aspirants to move to Islamic countries.
- Responding in Nagpur, Owaisi called Sarma a “tubelight,” argued the Constitution is not for a single community, and contrasted India’s secular framework with Pakistan’s religious restrictions on top offices.
- BJP spokesperson Shahzad Poonawalla challenged Owaisi to first elevate a hijab-wearing or Pasmanda woman to head AIMIM, as media criticism questioned the party’s record on women’s representation.
- Using the controversy to mobilize supporters, Owaisi urged Muslims to build political leadership rather than remain “just voters,” and campaigned for 17 AIMIM candidates in the upcoming Nagpur municipal polls.