New Delhi: MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of having a “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde personality”, where he speaks of maintaining communal harmony in the country, while his party colleagues spew venom against the minority communities. Mr Owaisi, who represents Hyderabad in the Lok Sabha, also criticised former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao for failing to stop the demolition of Babri Masjid, which weakened the secular foundation of the nation.

Speaking to a Hindi news channel show, the MIM leader attacked Mr Modi for seeking a moratorium on communal riots for 10 years, questioning why did the Prime Minister not seek a moratorium for 100 years. “What kind of a taskmaster is he? Even when his MP Sakshi Maharaj says that all madrasas are ‘centres of terrorism’, the government gives Rs 209 crore to madrasas. One of his ministers, Ms Maneka Gandhi, says that cows and cattle are being slaughtered, but at the same time his government reduces import duty from 10 per cent to 6 per cent on machines for slaughtering animals. You may not agree with me, but this shows a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde personality,” he said.

“For Mr Modi to say, ‘I am pure, and one should not ask me what my colleagues are saying as I am not responsible for their actions,’ makes no sense,” the Hyderabad MP reportedly said. He also asked, “Is it not a fact that the file seeking permission to prosecute an IB official in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case is lying with the government?” “Can anybody look into the eyes of Zakia Jafri and say that justice has been done to her? Sohrabuddin’s brother is still seeking justice. Is it not discrimination that the officers, who carried out encounters in Gujarat, are back in service? What message are you trying to give?” Mr Owaisi asked.

On his brother Akbaruddin Owaisi’s hate speeches, the MIM leader said that his brother’s case was sub-judice. “We hope we will get justice in the same manner in which BJP MP Varun Gandhi got justice,” he added. He also said his party would contest the Maharashtra elections and campaign against both the Congress-NCP and Shiv Sena-BJP combines. He accused them of indulging in “match-fixing”.

On the demolition of Babri masjid, the MIM boss said, “The demolition of Babri masjid was not painful to the Muslims alone. It weakened the secular foundation of the nation. It was a classic case of goonda raj. It was the Centre’s responsibility to protect the mosque and the Centre had given a commitment to the Supreme Court. That is why we consider P.V. Narasimha Rao responsible for it.” Mr Owaisi also said he has publicly appealed to the Muslim youth not to support the jihad call given by the ISIS.