Overview
- Owaisi told a Solapur rally that India’s Constitution allows any citizen to be Prime Minister and said he dreams of a hijab‑clad woman holding the office, contrasting this with Pakistan’s religious restrictions.
- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Prime Minister will always be a Hindu despite no constitutional bar, prompting Owaisi to accuse him of ignoring the Constitution in a pointed rejoinder.
- Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane rejected the idea, calling India a Hindu nation and saying those with such ambitions should go to Karachi, while insisting a hijab‑wearing woman would not become PM or Mumbai mayor.
- BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla challenged Owaisi to first make a Pasmanda Muslim or a hijab‑wearing woman the AIMIM president, as Shiv Sena’s Shaina NC said leadership should rest on merit and mandate.
- Owaisi also attacked UAPA amendments, blaming Congress-era changes for prolonged undertrial detentions and citing the Supreme Court’s refusal of bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, with the row unfolding days before the January 15–16 Mumbai civic polls.