Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 30 (ANI): All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday alleged that issues related to festivals and Namaz are raised deliberately to target Muslims, and said the community will not give up prayers.

Addressing an Eid Milap event, Owaisi said whenever festivals like Bakrid or Ramzan approach, 'they just start creating issues'.

'Problems with the Azaan, problems with Namaz after all, what has happened to you people?' he asked, and recalled that Islamic scholars fought against the British from mosques and issued fatwas for the struggle. 'Figures like Allama Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi and Allama Kaifi, hundreds and thousands of such scholars sacrificed their lives. Today, you are lecturing us, making an issue out of the Azaan and the Namaz,' he said.

Owaisi drew a comparison with religious processions, saying roads are blocked during yatras from Uttarakhand to Delhi, and tents are set up, but 'you have no problem with that'. On Namaz being offered on roads, he said it happens only for Friday prayers or Eid and not daily. 'In India, festivals of every religion take place on the road, don't they? You don't see those; you go blind to them,' he said.

He added that no matter what happens, Muslims will not give up Namaz. He said he met teens who told him that after seeing television coverage, they had decided to pray regularly in mosques.

Alleging a double standard, Owaisi said people have no objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches but object to Azaan and Namaz. He also questioned restrictions imposed during Hindu festivals on the sale of eggs, meat and chicken, asking 'what kind of law is this?'

'Your hatred is solely for Muslims. And your hatred clearly shows that you want to suppress the followers of this religion and marginalise them. You want to make them second-class citizens,' he said.

Referring to past incidents including Turkman Gate, Maliyana, Hashimpura and Nellie, Owaisi said Muslims survived despite massacres. 'Don't do these things. No one is going anywhere; there will be no second migration. If you want to finish us, it is in your power; if you want to be a tyrant, be one, but we are not leaving from here. This country is ours, and it will remain ours,' he said.

Owaisi cited Article 25 of the Constitution on religious freedom and argued for consistency in restrictions. 'Remember Article 25. If offering prayers on the road is wrong, then it is wrong for every religion's festival to come out onto the road. If you say meat shops should be closed during someone's festival, then close liquor shops for the 30 days of Ramadan. Close liquor shops for 30 days,' he said.

He concluded by saying the Constitution allows criticism of even God, but added that people were 'troubled just by the sound of the Azaan' and by the word 'Muslim'.

The remark comes after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that people must offer namaz in a regulated manner and that it can be performed in shifts if required, adding that the administration would seek compliance through persuasion, and if that does not work, other methods would be adopted to ensure adherence to public order norms.

Owaisi also criticised media coverage of the NEET paper leak, saying 22 lakh children suffered, but television channels preferred to focus on Muslims and issues like Azaan and meat instead of the students' struggle.

He questioned the labelling of a student who raised concerns over swapped CBSE answer sheets as 'Pakistani' by a news anchor, and asked, 'Is everyone who questions the government a Pakistani? Has Modi become God now?'

NEET-UG 2026 was held on May 3 across 5,432 centres in India and 14 abroad, with around 22.05 lakh of the 22.79 lakh registered candidates appearing for the exam. The NTA later cancelled the test on May 12 after agencies confirmed a question paper leak, and a re-examination is scheduled for June 21.

Owaisi targeted the BJP government over rising fuel prices triggered by geopolitical tensions in West Asia.

'Petrol prices are rising; they keep going up and up. Gas prices are rising. Don't talk about that. Show the Muslims. Speak out in the name of the Azaan,' Owaisi said during his address.

He asked why fuel prices were being linked to the Strait of Hormuz being closed, while 'oil we have been buying from Russia since 2022, which brought billions of dollars in profit to Indian companies', was not passed on as relief to people.

The remarks come amid a fresh round of fuel price hikes across the country. Petrol and diesel prices were revised upward again on Monday, marking the fourth increase in less than two weeks.

Referring to past rulers, he said the Nizams ruled for centuries, but today 'there is only a curtain, no gate left' at King Koti's Parda Gate.

'The building stands, but there is no one left to live in it; it is desolate. In this country, even the grandest palaces appear desolate,' he said.

'So those who are in power today and think 'Oh, nothing will happen to us', these desolate palaces are calling out to you. Do not commit oppression. We are telling the BJP government, do not oppress. What you are doing is not right,' he said while also questioning the reference to 'infiltrators' in political debate, asking, 'Where are the infiltrators? Where? Where is an infiltrator?'

Owaisi concluded by reiterating that power is not permanent and urged the government against what he called 'oppression'. (ANI)