• Source:JND
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All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Member of Lok Sabha from Hyderabad constituency, Asaduddin Owaisi, raised the issue of diminishing religious freedom in the House on Saturday during the debate commemorating the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Indian Constitution.

The AIMIM MP opened his remarks over the limitations placed on the rights provided under Article 25 of the Constitution, alleging that these rights are increasingly being encroached upon by various governments.

Owaisi, who is a member of the parliamentary committee on the Waqf bill, expressed concerns over the attempts to change the religious characters of the places of worship and accused PM Modi-led central government of trying to take away Waqf properties.

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"Read Article 26, it gives religious denominations the right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes. The Prime Minister says that Waqf has nothing to do with the Constitution. Who is teaching the PM? Make him read Article 26. The goal is to snatch away Waqf properties. You want to snatch it away based on your strength," Owaisi said.

Further in his speech, Owaisi outlined how Article 25 is being curtailed by the actions of the government.

"Article 25 talks profess. Today, my daughters are being stopped from wearing hijab in government institutions. So, how succesful has profess been?...Practice - In Haryana and Rajasthan, cow vigilantes were given Police-like rights. Those rights were misused for mob lynching. One Sabir Malik from Bengal was beaten to death, it was later found that he did not consume beef. Junaid and Nasir were burnt alive. Propagate - Today, I am being asked if there was a mosque 500 years ago...If I dig this Parliament and something will be found, will it become mine?" he said.

"Had Baba Saheb been alive, even he would have had to take the government's permission to change his religion," Owaisi added.

The AIMIM MP further alleged that the NDA government is trying to finish the Urdu language and promote Hindutva culture.

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"Read Article 29, it gives freedom of language. Urdu, a language in which our freedom fighters gave the slogan of 'Inquilab Zindabad', has been finished. Ask them (BJP) about culture, they will say it is our cultural nationalism. In reality, it is not BJP's cultural nationalism, it is the cultural nationalism of Hindutva, which has no connection with the nationalism of India," he added.

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