Overview
- At a Solapur rally, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said he dreams of a hijab-clad woman becoming India’s prime minister, invoking Ambedkar’s Constitution and contrasting it with religious limits he cited in Pakistan.
- BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla countered by urging Owaisi to first appoint a Pasmanda Muslim or a hijab-wearing woman as AIMIM president.
- Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma acknowledged there is no constitutional bar on who can be PM but stated his belief that India’s prime minister will always be Hindu.
- Maharashtra minister Nitish Rane dismissed the idea and said those seeking such roles should “go to Karachi,” as other BJP and Shiv Sena figures also rejected Owaisi’s statement.
- Owaisi also criticized UAPA amendments and highlighted the Supreme Court’s recent refusal of bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, tying civil liberties concerns to the campaign ahead of Mumbai’s Jan. 15–16 civic polls.