AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday faced a 'shoe attack' while addressing a rally in Mumbai's Nagpada area. Owaisi, who was not hurt in the incident, was voicing his opposition to the triple talaq issue at the rally around 9.45 pm. The accused has been identified and arrested. The Hyderabad MP said the Central government's decision on Triple Talaq has not been accepted by masses. "I am willing to lay down my life for my democratic rights. These are all frustrated people, who cannot see that the government decision on triple talaq has not been accepted by the masses in general and Muslims in particular," Owaisi was quoted as saying by PTI. "These people are the ones who follow the ideology of the killers of Mahatma Gandhi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar," he added.
Owaisi further claimed such incidents were happening at the behest of people, who follow "hate ideologies" and that they are getting emboldened with each passing day. "This will not stop us from speaking truth against them," the Hyderabad MP said. Virendra Mishra, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-III, said police had identified through CCTV footage the man who hurled the shoe at Owaisi. Speaking to media, AIMIM MLA Imtiyaz Jaleel said Owaisi was unhurt and continued his speech after the incident.
"We do not care for such incidents. Some people and parties do not want us to speak the truth. Mr Owaisi continued with his speech (despite the incident). We simply ignore these type of acts," he added.
Owaisi has been critical of the Triple Talaq bill, which was recently passed by Lok Sabha. He has termed the bill as BJP's conspiracy against Muslims. "The triple talaq bill is a conspiracy against the Muslim community. It a tactic to bring out the women of the community on roads and send the men to prison," he had said recently.
However, at the same time, Owaisi asked the Muslim community to socially boycott those who take the instant triple talaq route to divorce. The AIMIM chief demanded Rs 2,000 crore should be allocated for Muslim women in the budget.
Recently, a row erupted after The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017 was passed by the Lok Sabha, but not in Rajya Sabha where the opposition demanded it to be sent to a Select Committee for a detailed scrutiny. As per the draft law, instant triple talaq will attract a jail term of three years for the husband. He further alleged, "The BJP wants a Muslim-free India and this would not happen."