Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis slammed AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for his comments, noting that 'they are descendants of “Razakars” who tortured the people of Marathwada.'
“They are descendants of 'Razakars'. The 'Razakars' tortured the people of Marathwada, looted their land, tried to rape women and destroyed families. How can they talk to us?” said Fadnavis. The term 'Razakar', which means 'volunteers' in Arabic, is derogatory in Bangladesh as it refers to those who sided with the Pakistani army during the 1971 Liberation War.
This comes after Owaisi responded to Fadnavis' earlier comments like “Vote-Jihad” and “Dharma yuddha”, saying: “My ancestors waged Jihad against the British and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Fadnavis cannot defeat him in a debate.”
On Saturday, Fadnavis, while campaigning for Mahayuti candidates for the Assembly elections, said the 'Vote-Jihad' should be met by 'Dharma-Yuddha' of voting.
Further, the Maharashtra Deputy CM exuded confidence in winning the Nagpur South-West Assembly seat from where he is the candidate.
“This constituency is my family. They elected me five times. What I am today is because of them. Our (Mahayuti) credibility is high, their (Maha Vikas Aghadi) credibility is zero. Ladli Behan Yojana is a game changer program and I have confident that Ladli Behna will stay with us,” said Devendra Fadnavis.
Fadnavis also held a roadshow in Nagpur today ahead of the Assembly elections.
The assembly elections in the state are scheduled for November 20, with votes for all 288 constituencies being counted on November 23.
(With input from agencies)