Over Ayodhya and cow protection issues Asaduddin Owaisi lashes out at BJP for reverting to 'original agenda'

Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi Sunday accused the BJP of reverting to its “original agenda” by raising issues like Ram temple and cow protection as it had failed to deliver on its poll promises of economic revival and job creation. The Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad also said that a law banning cow slaughter across the country, as mooted by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, cannot be formulated as the matter was a state subject. [caption id=“attachment_3767457” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Asaduddin Owaisi. AFP[/caption] “All this cow, Ram Mandir (issues) are part and parcel of the BJP (agenda). Basically, the aim and objective is to make India a ‘Hindu Rashtra’,” Owaisi alleged while talking to PTI here. “The BJP has completely failed to provide jobs … (They had) promised creation of two crore jobs a year. They have failed to revive the economy. You have seen lot of ceasefire violations (by Pakistan). These are the core issues where the BJP has failed to deliver. So they have reverted back to their original agenda,” Owaisi alleged. While the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has reportedly started stock-piling stones for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, BJP MP from Unnao Sakshi Maharaj recently said the date of construction would be finalised at a religious congregation scheduled in November in Karnataka. To a question regarding a recent proposal to set up ‘cow sanctuaries’ and initiating a ‘Project Cow’ on the lines on ‘Project Tiger’, Owaisi said India has 550 million farm animals but there was only 40 percent fodder for them. “So where and how is the (remaining) 60 percent going to be created? Are you going to create forests,” he asked. “Urbanisation is the phenomena all over the world. We have only 40 percent fodder for 550 million farm animals. Where are you going to get the fodder from? Are you going to import it? We have high malnutrition among children. We are not able to provide nutrition to our children. More than 40 percent of the children have stunted growth,” Owaisi said. When asked about Swamy’s recent statement that the government will bring in a law banning cow slaughter across the country, Owaisi said constitutionally, it cannot be done because the matter is a state subject.