Overview
- Owaisi told a Solapur rally he dreams of a day when a hijab-wearing woman becomes India’s prime minister, contrasting India’s constitutional openness with Pakistan’s religious limits.
- BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla challenged him to first elevate a Pasmanda Muslim or a hijab-clad woman to the AIMIM presidency.
- Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane dismissed the idea with provocative remarks telling such aspirants to go to Islamic countries, drawing rebukes from AIMIM’s Waris Pathan.
- Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said there is no constitutional bar yet asserted his belief that India’s prime minister will always be Hindu, and Shiv Sena’s Shaina NC said there is no vacancy for the post.
- Owaisi also criticized UAPA amendments and cited the Supreme Court’s recent refusal of bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, linking the issue to prolonged detentions as Mumbai civic polls near on January 15 with results on January 16.