Hamid-Mohammed-Khan

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has resolved to oppose the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). It dubbed the whole thing as a futile exercise and “deliberate diversion” of priorities by the government to hide its failures.

“Implementation of NRC in Assam showed the futility of the exercise. Moreover, putting 135 crore people to the difficulty is unjustified when there are procedures and laws available to identify foreigners and illegal immigrants,” said JIH Telangana President, Hamid Mohammed Khan.

He told presspersons here on Tuesday that the JIH would strongly oppose both the NRC and CAB if the government insisted on its implementation. The opposition parties, he hoped, would play their role in the Parliament and stop these pointless initiatives.

Expressing concern at the difficulties faced by people in Assam, he said the government had no idea what to do with the two million people who did not figure in the final NRC list. Repeated assertions of four million infiltrators proved wrong. Nation-wide exercise of NRC would cause immense problems, especially to minorities and marginalised sections of society. If the government had doubts about the status of a citizen, it must prove that he/she was not a legal resident and not the other way round. Khan asked people not to panic by the statement of the Union Home Minister and urged them to get their documents updated.

Referring to the CAB, he said it was against the very spirit of the Constitution besides being discriminatory. The Bill proposed to grant citizenship only to Hindus coming to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and not to other religious communities. Furthermore, the Bill went against the basic idea of India being an inclusive, diverse, secular and democratic nation. “It is a part of the agenda to polarise people on communal lines. I am sure people will not fall prey to such divisive politics,” Khan said.

He also condemned the police crackdown on protesting JNU students. There were reports of many students and media persons receiving injuries in the lathi charge by Delhi police and CRPF. There was no place for the use of such excessive force against the student community in a democratic setup. The JIH leader felt that the students’ demand for rollback of the hiked hostel fee was genuine. The government must provide quality education at an affordable cost to all sections of society and not run away from its responsibilities. JIH is of the view that the government ought to increase the minimum allocation to education to 6 per cent of the GDP.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated November 26,2019

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 Smiles were back on the faces of Hyderabadis. Weekend cheer stretched to Monday as mirth and merriment descended on the city. It is the time of the year when a sense of humour prevails as Zinda Dilan-e-Hyderabad (ZDH) holds its annual programme. Hyderabadis simply let their hair down and laugh, whatever the situation.

Last two days saw people blowing away the blues with humour and satire. The most eagerly awaited event lived up to its expectations as ZDH unleashed a bagful of humour in diverse forms – prose, poetry and jokes. Of course, there was an entry ticket and it was pretty exorbitant. The audience was expected to walk in wearing a smile. Perhaps this condition played a spoilsport. The usually crowded Ravindra Bharati and Exhibition Grounds presented a near-deserted look. However, some brave hearts defied the winter chill to indulge in full-throated laughter. The two-day programme was organised by ZDH in association with Telangana Tourism.

Be it the Adabi Ijlas, Mehfil Lateefa Goee or Mizahiya Mushaira, there was mirth unlimited. The best of humour writers from all over the country ensured that people laughed their hearts out. Nadir Khan Sargiroh, who came all the way from Saudi Arabia, mesmerised the audience with his unique style of humour prose. His short and proverb-packed write-ups came as a breath of fresh air. The piece ‘Pay-e-dar Paye’ spread over ten lines had as many muhaware (idioms) and their timely use bowled over everyone. Nadir succeeded in creating humour by playing on the word ‘paya’ ( meaning goat’s legs) by coming up with related phrases in Urdu. For instance, he read out: Badi der tak paye aag par aur hum intezar main galte rahe (for a long time the lamb trotters on fire and me in waiting kept roasting).

The write-up on biryani by Dr Halelema Firdous of Bangalore also proved a hit with the audience. She recounted so many uses of biryani to find a way out of tight situations that some in the audience were heard asking whether the lip-smacking dish would be served after the programme. Articles ‘Khavind Bacho Tehreek’ of Asad Raza, ‘Terrific Traffic’ of Dr Farzana Farha and ‘Uf Ye Macchar’ of Abbas Muttaqi were simply terrific.

The Mahfile Lateefa and humorous mushaira on Monday proved to be the icing on the cake. The joke session commenced behind schedule but its convenor, Aleem Khan Falaki, said the delay was deliberate lest it turned a joke that the programme started on time. City’s senior artist, Daulat Ram, who is on the wrong side of 80, let out the secret of his health. “I never stop spreading laughter”, he confided.

If Hyderabad lays claim to be the humour capital of India, it is largely due to ZDH and the humour journal, Shagoofa. For more than half a century they have been enlivening people’s lives with humour and satire.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated November 25,2019

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A number of writers have parodied the works of famous writers from Mirza Ghalib to Ghulam Ali by twisting the words a bit and evoking peals of laughter from readers

There is melody in parody. Producing a comic effect through exaggerated imitation is the in-thing in Urdu literature. This art form has no guidelines or set pattern. All that it requires is the ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions. None escapes the parodist’s pu(e)n. Popular poems of famous writers have come in handy for many a writer to create humour and fun.

See how Rehana Razvi has created humour just with the change of a word here and there in Mirza Ghalib’s verse. The original sher goes like this:

Hum hain mushtaq aur wo bezar

Ya Ilahi ye majra kya hai

The parodied version is:

Hum to gehun se aashna the

Ya Ilahi ye bajra kya hai

Noted humour writer, Shoukat Thanvi, takes off on another verse of Ghalib to create fun. Sample this tampered couplet.

Ye na thi hamari qismat ke visal-e-yar hota

Shabe wada aa bhi jaati to hamein buqar hota

Unlike prose, Urdu poetry lends itself easily for imitation. By replacing a couple of words in the original in a subtle way, a whole new hilarious meaning can be created. Since a good number of persons remember famous verses, they immediately relate to the parodic version when a little change is made in the original. Spoof can be successful only when it shifts readers’ mind to the original and its emotional impact lingers on. On the contrary, remembering long passages from an essay is difficult and making a parody of it even more tough. Therefore, not many have attempted parody of humorous prose.

Humour comes in three packages – verbal, visual and physical. So is parody. But, it is verbal and lyrical parody which is most famous in Urdu. Pandit Tribhuvan Nath Hijr is credited with writing the first parody in Urdu for Awadh Punch, the humour magazine. He borrowed heavily from the West in creating parody. Soon, others like Ratan Nath Sarshar and Akbar Allahabadi followed suit. Ghalib had this rare ability of seeing the lighter side of an unpleasant situation. His Urdu letters are proof enough. Later day poets like Akbar Allahabadi to present day humourists like Talib Khundmiri have possessed this skill to see and comment on the incongruities of life.

See how in the hands of Ismail Zareef, the famous nazm of Ghalib – Koi ummid bar nahin aati – gets converted:

Biwi jab tak ghar nahin aati

Koi umid bar nahin aati

Pehle ladne padosan aati thi

Ab kisi baat par nahin aati

Sher likhwa ke padh rahe ho Zareef

Sharm tum ko magar nahin aati

Awadh Punch takes credit for popularising parody by introducing writers like Kanhaya Lal Kapoor, Shafeeq-ur-Rahman, Shoukat Thanvi, Farqat Kakuri and Takhallus Bhopali. In the present times, it is Shagoofa which has kept this genre alive. Allama Husain Meer Kahsmiri, NB Sen Shaad, Dilawar Figar, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and Suleman Khateeb have contributed a lot to parody literature.

Many a writer has satirised Allama Iqbal’s famous poem, Shikwa. Urdu literature is full of different variants of this popular nazm which is actually the complaint of a frustrated Muslim to the Almighty Allah. Iqbal uses wonderful vocabulary and sublime ideas to recount the achievements of the community. The parodic version of Nashtar Amrohavi follows the same style and matches Iqbal stanza by stanza. But, his shikwa is against an ungrateful ‘Begum’.

Hum se pehle tha ajab tere makan ka manzar

Koi aata hi kahan tha tere darwaze par

Aur do char jo aaye tera rishta lekar

In main na MA tha, na BA tha, na koi Inter

Shidate jazbae shaadi ne kiya kaam tera

Phunti thi meri kismat jo liya naam tera

Another well-known poem of Iqbal is parodied by Hyderabad poet, Maqbool Farooqui, beautifully.

Hum inka tarjuma karlenge apne naam chapaynge

Bhala kis ko khabar hogi yehan tera hai ya mera

Diya tha tujh ko jo naqsha, ye ghar waisa nahin hai

Are builder bata to a makan tera hai ya mera

Humour poets have done parody of Hindi film songs also. See how skilfully Sahir Ludhianvi’s song from Hum Dono is tinkered in a humorous way by Shabbir Ahmed Maher of Raigadh, Mahrashtra. The original song is:

Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya

The spoofed version is:

Har falsafi ka saath nibhata chala gaya

Ullu ka pattha khud ko banata chala gaya

Jang-e-Khaleej se huva America faiz-e-yab

Sone ke bhau loha khapata chala gaya

Aadat buri hai mana magar hausala to dekh

Ashaar chori karke chapata chala gaya

Pradeep Kumar’s patriotic song from the classic movie, Jagriti, is parodied in a funny way by Dr Zafar Kamali of Siwan, Bihar. The latter uses Pradeep’s song to expose the ills of the society in a telling manner. Who doesn’t remember this song played on Independence Day and Republic Day?

Aao bachcho tumhe dikhayen jhanki Hindustan ki

The parodic version goes like this:

Sansad mein baithi hain dekho netaon ki toliyaan

Bol rahi hain uchal uchal kar bhant bhant ki boliyaan

Bharengi, bharti thi, bharti hain inki apni jholiyaan

Public ke hisse mein hain laikin gham, ghussa, bum, goliyaan

Jo sach bolega khayega hava wahi zandan ki

Is mitti se tilak karo ye dharti hai balidaan ki

Iqbal has written a number of poems for children. Among them Bachche Ki Dua stands out. This poem is a fervent appeal by a student to God to grant him all that is good in life. Pakistan’s humorous poet, Dilwar Figar, has made light of this beautiful poem by seeking mundane things from God. The poem titled Student Ki Dua reduces the stirring poem of Iqbal to a burlesque. It goes like this:

Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri

Zindagi khel mein gharat ho Khudaya meri

Film mein mere chamkne se ujala ho jaye

Mutawajja meri janib Madhubala ho jaye

Zindagi ho meri Nausahd ki surat ya Rab

Film ki shamma se ho mujh ko muhabbat ya Rab

Mere Allah padhaee se bachana mujh ko

Mughle Azam or Barsat dikhana mujhko

Noted Deccani humour poet, Sulaiman Khateeb, has also tried his hand at parody. He has lampooned Makhdoom Mohiuddin’s famous poem Maikade se zara door is mod per in his typical way:

Ek ghalle ki unchi dukan ke tale

Chand bhooke khade the badi der se

Ek mayee ko queue mein hi baccha huva

Suf mein bhookon ki phir ek izafa huva

Masjidon ke minaron ne dekha  ise

Mandiron ke kiwadon ne dekha ise

Both serious and romantic poems of eminent poets like Allama Iqbal, Mirza Ghalib, Dagh Dehlvi, Mirza Mohammed Rafi Sauda, Mir Taqi Mir, Ibne Insha, Josh Malihabadi, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Altaf Hussain Hali have been parodied. Even Ghulam Ali’s famous ghazal Chupke chupke raat din… written by Hasrath Mohani has also been parodied. Gopinath Aman has done a wonderful job of it. Sample the parodic version:

Ibtedae memberi ka wo zamana yaad hai

Phool leke pai ba pai logon ka aana yaad hai

Majeed Lahori has come out with a funny piece of poetry while doing parody of Nazeer Akbarabadi’s Aadmi Nama. This new version goes with the title Modern Aadmi Ke Naam.

Moochen badha raha hai so hai wo bhi aadmi

Dadhi mundha raha hai so hai wo bhi aadmi

Murghe jo kha raha hai so hai wo bhi aadmi

Dalya paka raha hai so hai wo bhi aadmi

Over the years, a number of writers have written parodies and yet this genre doesn’t command a respectable place in Urdu literature. At best, it is considered second grade stuff since it is a copy of some original work.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Telangana Today

Dated November 24,2019

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Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS) has proposed to acquire State Waqf Board land to construct buildings for its schools in the Hyderabad district. The property will be taken on a long lease of 100 years for building 18 schools in and around the city. Since government land is not available in the state capital, TMREIS management thought of taking Waqf Board land. A letter in regards has been addressed to the Waqf Board, and TMREIS expects the latter to make a decision in its next meeting.

If the proposal gets through, it will be a win-win situation for both institutions. Waqf Board has large parcels of land in Telangana, but most of it is under encroachment. By leasing out a portion of its land to TMREIS, it will not only ensure the protection of its property but also earn revenue by charging the current market value.

Presently, TMREIS has 204 schools across the state. Of this, 187 are functioning from rented premises and the rest from government buildings. TMREIS plans to have its buildings, but they face the problem of scarcity of land, especially in Hyderabad. Under the Multi-sectoral Development Programme now called Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram, phase-wise construction of 54 school buildings has been taken up.

Under phase I and II, thirteen schools are grounded in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Zaheerabad, and Ranga Reddy districts. These school buildings are in the final stage of construction. Tenders for the construction of 10 school buildings in the third phase have been called. In the fourth phase, TMREIS plans to construct 31 school buildings, and of this, 18 will be in Hyderabad district alone. Government land is readily available elsewhere, but in Hyderabad, it is a big problem.

“We have already written to the Waqf Board and are hopeful it will agree to our request and allot its land on lease,” said B Shafiullah, Secretary of TMREIS.

The Centre has sanctioned a sum of Rs 620 crore for the construction of 31 school buildings, a few junior colleges, and hostels. The money will be shared in the ratio of 60:40 by the Government of India and the Telangana government.

As part of his pet programme to empower minorities, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has established 204 residential schools and two residential junior colleges in the state. The idea is to ensure the overall development of children through fully residential schools.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated November 22,2019

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Abbas Muttaqui’s humour and satire, besides appropriate use of proverbs 
and metaphors won many hearts and laurels

If you are looking for a pigeon-holed answer to define him, forget it. He doesn’t believe in a singular identity. Like all creative people, he has several areas of interest in his life. Yes, he is multifaceted and intriguing. Dr Syed Abbas Muttaqui doesn’t want to play just one note – it becomes a bit monotonous and boring. So, he is a many-sided entertainer – teacher, writer, poet, dramatist, humorist and an Imam all rolled into one.

But, he has carved a niche for himself in the tanz-o-mizah genre. Last week, he had his moment in the sun when he was bestowed the prestigious Makhdoom Award by the Telangana State Urdu Academy for his contribution to humour and satire. In a career spanning four decades, Muttaqui has authored 13 books of humour, five books of poetry in Urdu and four in Persian. An amazing achievement for a teacher of government school where talent seldom finds encouragement.

He comes across as a paradox. Committed yet relaxed, sociable yet a loner, passionate and also platonic. In short, Muttaqui is extremely amusing and a darn good company. He entertains everyone with jokes, couplets and his amazing grasp of Urdu and Persian. Right from childhood, he is drawn to fun and frolic. A great fan of Prithivi Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar, he wanted to sing and act in films. He satiated his desire by acting in school plays. “I still have these passions but now they find release through my writings,” he says.

At 66, Muttaqui is still busy with his writings. His latest book ‘Kahan Gaya Mera Bachpan’ makes an interesting read about his childhood passions and acts of naughtiness. His inborn talents and academic brilliance were not lost on his teachers. They supported and encouraged his passion for literature. The Headmistress of New Progressive School, Azhar Jahan, entrusted him with the job of editing the school magazine, Bazme Shaheen, when he was in class VII.

Right from fifth standard, he started composing poetry and showed it to his Urdu teacher, Saaduddin Qureshi. When the latter was transferred to another school, Muttaqui was sad and penned a farewell poem in honour of his teacher. When he failed to clear the tenth examination, Muttaqui wanted to quit education and join the film industry. However, he continued his education and did his Master’s and PhD in Urdu and, after retirement, in Persian language.

Muttaqui recalls how he used the pocket money given by his father to purchase books and magazines from footpaths on Sundays. Even today, a good number of copies of Khilona and Shama magazines can be found in his house, neatly stacked. He also tried his hand at singing, wrestling, horse riding and sermonising. He was attracted by the sermons of Maulana Mohd Hameeduddin Aqil Husami, who used to pack his talk with a lot of humour. Recalling his different interest as he grew into adulthood, he says:

Aseere panjae ahde shabab karke mujhe
Kahan gaya mera bachpan kharaab karke mujhe

Muttaqui has captured his childhood events in a humorous way in the book Kahan Gaya Mera Bachpan. He plans to write about his colourful adolescent life under the title ‘Abhi Toh Main Jawaan Hun’ and present his old age as ‘Azizo! Ab Allah hi Allah hai’.

The writing canvass of Muttaqui is very wide. He has written on a variety of things that have impacted his life. One thing is for sure – he doesn’t hesitate to call a spade a spade. He faithfully produces the waywardness of even his father who was given to drinking and gambling and takes pot-shots at the foils and foibles of others. He doesn’t believe in ‘Neki kar aur darya main daal’ but in ‘Neki kar aur diary main likh maar’.

Muttaqui emerged on the literary firmament with his first book ‘Dukhti Ragen’ in 1989 followed by ‘Tasleeman Kaseera’, ‘Masnavi Naval Subhan’ (a translation of Surah Rahman), ‘Tanhayian’, ‘Chatti Ungli’, ‘Fe Zilalil Burda’, ‘Meri Bala Se’, ‘Darta Hun Aiyne Se’, ‘Lage Hathon’, ‘Hain Kawakib Kutch’, ‘Tik Tik Deedam’, ‘Man Khub Me Shanam’, Nagufta Ba, Gup Shup, Baad Shaman Madara, Harche Badabad, Mata-e-Rooh (Urdu Persian poems), Yousuf Ravish Ki Chulbuli Parchayian and Kahan Gaya Mera Bachpan. His Persian works include: Rubaiyate Muttaqui, Rashke Gardoon, Munajate Muttaqui, Maqaese Ghalib and Meena Badosh.

However, he is known more for his humorous prose than poetry. One can almost feel the sound of the breaking heart and fall of a tear drop in his soul stirring ghazals in ‘Tanhayian’. Sample this verse which reflects the dejection of a star-crossed lover:

Tum ne iss phool ko hathon mein daba rakkha hai
Hum to samjhe the ke zulfaon main saja rakkha hai
Jaagte daer mukhaddar ko kahan hoti hai
Hum ye soch ke darwaza khula rakkha hai

When one reads his satirical prose, one wonders whether it is the same writer who penned these moving verses. His articles have been a huge success at the Zinda Dilane Hyderabad programmes. He often appeared as the opening batsman of literary programmes. He would stay long on the crease and score tanz-o-mizah runs. He made the audience break into splits with his humorous chawwe and chakke.

In one of his earliest articles ‘Kachara’, Muttaqui shows his skills of turning a stinky thing like garbage into a readable stuff. He lists different grades of garbage and says the standard refuse is that which contains peels of fruits. “It is not my good fortune to have peels of apple or almond in my kachara. The waste in my house is mostly of onion peels,” he remarks.

The same kind of quirky humour can be found in his other articles like Tel Khandil, Aao Phir Shaadi Karen, Man Aanam Ke Man Danam. When a PhD thesis was done on his works, Muttaqui wrote ‘Ya Lalajab Hum Par Bhi’, expressing surprise that someone considered his writings fit for research. A unique thing about his writings is that they come across as a speech. There is a conversational tone in his prose and the reader feels as if the author is talking to him directly. See how he jumps to conclusion about people’s prosperity by looking at their culinary habits. He says:

“Shahr Hyderabad ki hotalon, hotalon ke bahar sadkon aur sadkon par tehri karon main khaee jane wali haleem is baat ka suboot hai ke is shahr main bahamdullah tala logon ki maashi khush-hali suryya aasar hi nahi, mareeq aur mushtari aasar hai.”

Sometimes, he uses English words in such a way as to create humour. For instance, he describes the break-up of a marriage by saying “goya azwaji zindagi ka ball catch hogaya” since the woman was busy watching cricket match putting cooking on the back burner. Muttaqui describes this situation in his typical way: ‘Goya TV ne BV ko beewi rehne na diya’.

Apart from his beautiful Urdu, what adds to the charm of his articles is the use of appropriate proverbs and metaphors. Sample some of the axioms he uses to liven up his prose: Dil ko janab aap pe ana tha aagaya, Bijli si daud jaati hai thandak bikherti, Aaiyna koi chupke se mujh ko dikha gaya.

Who is his inspiration? Pat comes the reply: Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi. One can detect the wry sarcasm of this great satirist in the writings of Muttaqui. The influence of Khwaja Hasan Nizami, Patras Bukhari, Kanhaiya Lal Kapoor and Rasheed Ahmed Siddiqui can also be seen in his writings. Closer home, he is inspired by Shaz Tamkanat and Amjad Hyderabadi. Muttaqui is also a great fan of Ibne Safi’s ‘Jasoosi Duniya’ and novels of Premchand and Siraj Anwar.

A man of many parts, Muttaqui remains an enigma. As he himself says:

Tum ku maloom nahin kuch haqeeqat meri
Apna afsana sunane ki ijazat de do

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Telangana Today

Dated November 17,2019

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With the Supreme Court pronouncing its final verdict on the Ayodhya tangle, many feel Muslims should move ahead and concentrate on real issues. The community should be concerned more about social indices and shouldn’t be bogged down by just the Masjid-Mandir matter.

Important issues such as abject poverty, education, health care, housing, food, personal security and social exclusion are staring at their face. Yet, the community is not thinking beyond Babri Masjid, 12 per cent reservation and Waqf matters. “Muslims do not have a holistic view of what their problems are,” says Mujtaba Hasan Askari of Helping Hand Foundation.

Askari, whose NGO deals with public healthcare, pinpoints several deplorable social indices and wonders what the community is doing to check the malaise. Poverty and illiteracy combined with poor health is a recipe for disaster for any community, and statistics show that a significant portion of Muslims in the country suffers from a combination of these factors. The need to improve access to quality and affordable education right from primary to higher education and skill development brooks no delay. It requires critical thinking, resources and support from both within and outside the community.

“Why can’t we get this discussion into the public domain and deliberate instead of bragging about an old Masjid-Mandir issue, which does not have any impact on our wellbeing,” says Askari.

He wants the community to discuss the percentage of Muslim children below five years who are stunted (low height to age) due to undernourishment. How many are wasted (low weight to age) due to chronic malnutrition? How many Muslim women are anaemic and more so during pregnancy? What can the community do to address undernourishment of children from economically weaker sections?

Reliable data available from the Sachar Committee and Sudhir Committee reports portray a grim picture of Muslim minorities. “Why can’t the clergy make this a part of the Friday sermon,” he wonders.

Askari, who works closely with the community, says Muslims topped the chart on NCDs (Non-Communicable Diseases) like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic kidney diseases. Those caught in these ailments are living a miserable life. Neither thought nor effort is being spared to counsel Muslim youth who are getting addicted to tobacco smoking. Yet discourses remained on civil and religious matters, he laments.

Askari also faults lavish weddings in the community even as many poor parents are finding it difficult to marry off their daughters. He feels the community ought to come together and start talking about its social and moral wellbeing and issues that matter to the welfare of the community. “It is time to take action and abandon lip service,” he says.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated November 17,2019

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 May 13, 1969. Does the date ring a bell? No prizes for guessing. It was when Majlis leader Asaduddin Owaisi was born. Can you hazard a guess about the climate that day? Well, the weather was very pleasant – baaghon mein bahaar thi, kaaley baadal hatt gaye the, sab kuch suhaana sa tha.

Bollywood’s hit song from Rajesh Khanna-starrer Aradhana – baaghon mein bahaar hai … perhaps played heavy on Owaisi’s mind when he gave details of the day he was born. If yoga guru Baba Ramdev had not provoked the Hyderabad MP with the ‘inauspicious birth time’ remark, one wouldn’t have known the “lovely” climate of the day he was born.

The godman-tycoon was at his controversial best yet again when he dubbed Owaisi as ‘dharti pe bojh’ (a burden on Earth) and called the timing of his birth as ‘inauspicious’. Not one to take things lying down, the Majlis leader promised never to stop being a ‘bojh’ if his siding the ‘Samvidhan’ (Constitution) is considered an immense burden. He further offered special thanks to TV anchor Arnab Goswami for platforming such ‘hate speech’.

Ramdev waded into controversy when he likened Owaisi to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Osama Bin Laden and called him the kingpin of those who want to divide the country. Ramdev hit out at Owaisi while reacting on the Ayodhya verdict. The unsavoury spat spilled onto Twitter, with many terming the episode despicable. Some felt Ramdev’s remark was ‘vile and personal’. A Twitter user, Saif, saw it as a direct attack on Indian Muslims from this “crony” businessman. “Owaisi alone is the representative of 200 million Muslims of India as we have been dumped by all the institutions of India which swore to protect us,” he said.

The controversy seems to have garnered a good number of supporters for Owaisi. Quite a few sided with the Hyderabad MP and said his patriotism could never be questioned although one might disagree with him on some issues. “Jokes aside it’s disturbing to see hate directed at Owaisi. You can disagree with him but how can you equate him with Osama, Baghdadi,” asked Manisha Pande.

Owaisi himself sought to dismiss the controversy when asked about the Ramdev remark. Instead, he wanted to know why the co-founder of Patanjali has suddenly stopped giving ads on TV channels when he is earning so much. “Ask him to issue ads otherwise your jobs will be in danger,” he told the scribes of a few channels.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated November  14,2019

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