Opposition Slams Modi Over 'Muslims Fixing Punctures' Remark: 'Unbecoming Of A PM'
Opposition leaders have strongly criticised a remark made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he suggested that young Muslims would not be forced to earn a living by repairing punctures if Waqf properties - lands intended for religious or charitable purposes under Islamic law - had been used appropriately.
Speaking at the inauguration of an airport in Hisar, Haryana, the Prime Minister said that although Waqf properties span several lakh hectares, they had been misused.
"Had Waqf properties been utilised with integrity, Muslim youth would not have to make ends meet by mending bicycle punctures. Instead, a select group of land mafias benefitted from them. These individuals were looting land that belonged to Dalits, the backward classes, and widows," he said. He added that recent amendments to the Waqf law would rectify these issues.
AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi responded sharply, arguing that if the RSS - the BJP's ideological parent - had used its ideology and resources in the nation's interest, "the Prime Minister wouldn't have had to sell tea" in his childhood.
He further questioned what the Modi government had done for poor people - whether Hindu or Muslim - in its 11 years in power. "The real issue with Waqf properties is that the laws have always been weak. Modi's amendments will further erode them," he said on X.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi criticised the use of the phrase 'Muslims fix punctures,' likening it to troll rhetoric on social media.
"Such comments are unbecoming of a Prime Minister. The government itself has pushed the youth to this point - there are no jobs. What's left is repairing punctures or selling snacks. Muslims do more than fix punctures - I could list our contributions, but that's not the point. You accuse the Congress of pandering to Muslims - but do you harbour hatred for them? If not, then why did you sideline figures like Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Shahnawaz Hussain, MJ Akbar, and Zafar Islam? You say the Waqf Bill is for Muslim welfare, yet you don't have a single Muslim MP to introduce it in the Lok Sabha. You talk of Muslim women's rights, but there are no Muslim women representing the BJP in either House or any State Assembly," he said.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate questioned why the Prime Minister failed to pay homage to BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution, during a parliamentary event marking his birth anniversary.
Responding to Modi's query on why the Congress doesn't appoint a Muslim party president, she countered: "Why hasn't the BJP ever had a Dalit Chief Minister?"
Modi had earlier accused the Congress of practising appeasement politics, which he claimed had also disadvantaged the Muslim community.
"Congress has merely satisfied a few fundamentalists, leaving the wider society uneducated and impoverished. The Waqf law is the greatest evidence of their flawed policies," he said.
The Waqf Amendment Bill, which recently passed Parliament and is now an Act, faced strong resistance from the Congress and other Opposition parties, who argued it was a veiled attempt to take control of Waqf properties and marginalise the Muslim community.
The BJP, however, maintains that the new legislation introduces essential reforms for the effective governance of Waqf assets.
Click it and Unblock the Notifications
Sign in with Google