Navneet Rana said that such "cannons" are kept outside their homes as decorative items.
BJP leader Navneet Rana, after being booked for violating the poll code, did it again. She dared AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi to stop her from visiting Hyderabad. Her challenge was in response to Asaddudin Owaisi”s claim that his brother Akbaruddin is a “cannon” that they are keeping under control. Rana dismissed Owaisi”s analogy, saying that such “cannons” are kept outside their homes as decorative pieces.
“Owaisi in a speech said that he has kept his brother under control and he is a cannon. We keep such cannons outside our house for decoration. I am coming to Hyderabad, I would like to see who stops me,” Rana said in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter).
She added, “I would like to say that good you are making him understand, and hence he’s still in front of your eyes… else Ram Bhakts and Modi ji’s lions are roaming in every street.”
Speaking about his brother, senior Owaisi, during a rally at Moghalpura, said, “I have stopped chotte (Akbaruddin). You don”t know who chotte is. He is a cannon. Son of Salar. What do you want? Should I cut him loose?”
This isn”t the first time Rana has clashed with Owaisi and his brother. Earlier this week, Rana claimed that if police were removed for “15 seconds, the brothers would not know from where they came and where they went”.
“The younger brother said, ‘Remove police for 15 minutes so we can show what we can do’. I want to tell him, ‘It might take you 15 minutes… but it will only take us 15 seconds… ”
A 40-second video clip of Rana’s remarks was also posted on her X (formerly Twitter) account.
Rana also declared that Madhavi Latha, the BJP candidate for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat dominated by Asaduddin Owaisi, will “definitely stop Hyderabad from turning into Pakistan” and claimed that anyone voting for either the Congress or the AIMIM would simply be voting for Pakistan.
“If you vote for AIMIM and Congress, it goes directly to Pakistan. The kind of ‘AIMIM prem (love)’ and ‘Rahul prem’ Pakistan is showing… Just like Congress that governed country on signals from Pak… the same Pak is today saying they ‘love Congress and AIMIM’.”
Rana was charged with violation of the poll code for saying that “a vote to Congress is a vote for Pakistan”.
A complaint was filed by an official of the Flying Surveillance Team (FST) at Shadnagar police station, alleging that Rana ‘tried to influence voters with false statements’ and violated MCC during a meeting.
Rana”s remarks drew strong reactions from both Asaduddin Owaisi and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
Owaisi had challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow Rana 15 seconds or even an hour, daring her to act on her words.
Asaduddin Owaisi said, “I’m telling (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji… give her the 15 seconds. What will she do? Give her the 15 seconds… give her an hour even. We too want to see what they will do. Is there any humanity left in them? Who is scared? We are ready… if someone is making an open call (like this) then so be it. Do it. Who is stopping you?”
He added, “Aap 15 second mein kya karenge? Kaun darr raha hai aapse? Aap Ikhlaq, Pehlu Khan, Rakbar aur Mukhtar Ansari jaisa haal karenge? Hum tayyar hain.”
Reddy, speaking at an election campaign meeting in Saroornagar on May 9, called for the Election Commission of India (ECI) to file criminal charges against her for her inflammatory comments. He also questioned whether PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah would take action against her for her divisive remarks made while campaigning for Hyderabad BJP candidate Madhavi Latha on May 8.
“It is atrocious that BJP is begging for votes in the name of religion and creating a communal rift between Hindus and Muslims. I appeal to my Hindu and Muslim brothers to not fall into BJP’s trap. It is necessary to stop this and defeat the BJP,” Reddy added.
