Congress has to take everyone along to defeat BJP: Owaisi

Observing that the Congress party alone cannot defeat the BJP, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the grand old party has to take everyone on board to succeed.

Addressing a public meeting at Vikarabad in Telangana, he also said social instability would be "triggered" in the country if the Waqf Amendment Bill is enacted into legislation.

Reacting to Congress' defeat in the recent Haryana Assembly polls, he said 'secular' parties used to blame him for causing a split in anti-BJP votes in elections, and asked how the Mallikarjun Kharge-led party lost in the northern state though the AIMIM did not field its candidates.

“How did they (BJP) win (Haryana)? I was not there. Otherwise, they would have said 'B Team'... They lost there. Now, you tell me, they lost because of whom?,” he said.

“I want the old party to understand what I am saying. You have to take everyone along to defeat Modi (BJP). You will not be able to do anything alone,” he said.

The BJP clinched a stunning hat-trick win in Haryana, overcoming anti-incumbency and dashing Congress' hopes of a comeback. The saffron party won 48 of the 90 assembly seats in Haryana, well above the simple majority mark of 46.

"I am telling Modi, if this Waqf law is made, social instability would be triggered in the country. We lost one mosque. We will not lose any mosque or graveyard now," he said.

In an indirect reference to Yati Narsinghanand, head priest of a temple in Uttar Pradesh, who allegedly made derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad, Owaisi claimed that "Modi and Yogi are protecting him". It is regrettable that he has not yet been arrested, he said.

Continuing his support for the Palestine cause, Owaisi asked why PM Modi is not speaking though "Israel attacked the UN army" in Lebanon and 40,000 were killed in Gaza.

He also asked why India was giving weapons to Israel.