He called on the Election Commission to take action if false applications were being submitted.
“If this drama does not stop, remember, we will do the ‘mantar’, that was not read at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, on the streets of Hyderabad,” Owaisi said, warning of larger protests if genuine voters’ names were deleted.
He also called on AIMIM workers to ask election officials who had submitted Form 7 applications and threatened protests in Hyderabad that he said would be larger than those witnessed in Delhi and Mumbai.
Owaisi criticised the SIR exercise and said it could lead to voters’ names being deleted and questions being raised about citizenship.
He linked the exercise to the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), referring to earlier statements by Union Home Minister Amit Shah about conducting an NRC.
Owaisi also rejected allegations that AIMIM relies on bogus votes to win elections, saying the party wins through public support.
During his address, he additionally expressed concern over rising incidents of murder in Hyderabad. He alleged that wealthy accused persons were able to secure bail by spending large sums of money and claimed that a jail official had facilitated a meeting involving murder accused. These allegations were not independently established.
The Telangana BJP rejected Owaisi’s allegations and asked him to approach the appropriate legal authorities if he had evidence of electoral malpractice.
BJP state chief spokesperson N.V. Subash said serious allegations against a constitutional authority could not be established through public statements alone.
“If Owaisi has concrete evidence of electoral malpractice, what is stopping him from approaching the appropriate judicial forum?” Subash said, urging him to submit the evidence to the competent authorities and seek legal action.
Subash said scrutiny of the Election Commission and the electoral process was legitimate in a democracy, but repeatedly questioning the integrity of the electoral system without producing evidence was different.
He also said allegations concerning electoral rolls in Hyderabad should be subjected to the same scrutiny and legal process.
“Political rhetoric cannot become a substitute for proof, and allegations cannot be allowed to become electoral facts merely by repetition,” Subash said.
The exchange comes amid political tensions over the SIR exercise in Telangana, with the AIMIM raising concerns about the potential deletion of eligible voters and the BJP demanding documentary evidence for such allegations. The claims regarding specific Form 7 applications and alleged attempts to target Muslim voters remain disputed.
With PTI inputs
