Mumbai: Though questions were raised over his real intention ever since Asaduddin Owaisi decided to contest elections outside Hyderabad, especially in Bihar where he hardly had a base, his recent 'Bharat Mata' outbursts is almost unanimously seen by Muslims as a deliberate move by the firebrand controversial chief of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) to help RSS and BJP in the midst of crisis.
In Maharashtra when Asaduddin Owaisi contested elections, his critics kept a low profile. They gained some momentum during the Bihar elections, forcing him to withdraw from the Gujarat civic elections in the last minutes. But, voices of dissent and criticism are pouring in from almost all corners of the country after his 'uncalled for' and 'unprovoked' statement made in response to RSS Chief Moha Bhagwat's 'Bharat Mata ki jai' slogan.
"Whether he has some 'deal' with the BJP and RSS in return of some benefits or he is a fool who doesn't know the consequences of what he is saying. One thing is certain. His recent outburst has helped the BJP government which is struggling to tackle growing anger against its policies", Asrarul Haque Qasmi, Congress MP from Bihar, said.
"There is a strong anti-RSS wave building up in the country, and the RSS is finding it difficult to answer questions raised against it especially after the JNU episode. Owaisi by his statement has helped the RSS to give a communal twist to the ongoing anti-RSS debate in the country", he added.
His political adversaries are more vocal against Owaisi.
"There clearly is a deal between Owaisi and BJP/RSS. It is match-fixing", Samajwadi Party Maharashtra said in a series of social media posts.
On his part, Asaduddin Owaisi rejects these accusations saying the constitution has given him right to freedom of expression and nobody can stop him from using this right. Owaisi also rejects the accusations that his statements are helping the BJP and RSS.
"Who is responsible for the rise of BJP and RSS? Was MIM responsible for BJP victory in 2014 Lok Sabha polls?" he asks.
His critics however say that at the time when a strong anti-RSS wave is being built up in the country and first time in history the RSS is facing strongest challenge to its ideology despite being in power through the backdoors, it would have been better if Owaisi had showed restrain.
Terming Owaisi opportunist, Qutbuddin Shahid, Editor Inquilab Sunday Edition, in his article accused Owaisi of helping RSS to convert the ongoing 'RSS vs Dalit' debate into 'RSS vs Muslim'.
"His untimely and uncalled for outburst against RSS only gives credence to the allegations that he has done so deliberately, and with a definite motive. Otherwise, there was absolutely no reason for his reported statement", he wrote.
"Owaisi is clearly dancing on the tunes of RSS and BJP", Jamal Rizvi said in his weekly column in Sunday Inquilab.
There are some others who want to know why Owaisi raked up the issue full three days after Mohan Bhagwat's statement.
"Was there any pressure on Owaisi to say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai?" asks Afsar Usmani. "Why couldn't he have ignored Bhagwat's remarks? He was not saying anything new."
"In the entire debate on nationalism debate that has seized the country, Muslims, or any other minority, do not have any need to intervene as a community. It has been a battle of secular Indians vs Hindu nationalists..
"With his aggressive statement, Owaisi has turned the nationalism debate into one of Hindu nationalists vs anti-national Muslims", he added.
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