Latur (Maharashtra) [India], January 7 : All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Chief Asaduddin Owaisi questioned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders for not taking a stand following US President Donald Trump's recent remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that they are "scared of Trump."
Owaisi commented on the BJP leader's silence over Trump's statement, adding, "The BJP people get scared the moment Trump's name comes up. It has been 24 hours, and they have gone completely mute. Say something at least! When will you speak up?"
Owaisi's remarks come a few days after President Trump, while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday (local time), said it was important for India to keep him happy on the issue of Russian Oil Imports.
"PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly," Trump said.
Slamming BJP leaders for being "mute" on the issue, Owaisi added, "He is the PM of 133 crore people. It has been 24 hours, but the BJP people are mute. They are scared of speaking about him. There is something called respect, not of an individual but of the country. Nobody can disrespect our country...Say something."
He further said that BJP leaders only address matters related to religion but keep a blind eye to matters of national interest.
"You will speak on Hindu-Muslim, on love jihad, you will say that someone is Bangladeshi. You will be silent on farmers' deaths, on youth unemployment, on Trump's statement," Owaisi asserted while addressing a public campaign meeting ahead of the BMC elections.
Furthermore, Owaisi expressed his confidence in winning the much awaited 2026 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, saying that the party has been getting a very good response, "wherever it fielded its candidate in the municipal corporation elections."
Speaking to the media after addressing the meeting, Owaisi said, "Wherever we have fielded our candidates in the municipal corporation elections, we have been getting a very good response. Our party will have many municipal corporators..."