Asaduddin Owaisi's entry ban will not stop people from voting for him: Karnataka minister KJ George

BENGALURU: Karnataka home minister KJ George denied any political motives in banning the entry of Hyderabad MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen ( AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi into Bengaluru, telling ET that “banning his entry will not prevent people voting for him if they really want to.”

The AIMIM had won two seats in the Maharashtra Assembly polls this time round and helped split the minority votes in the state, contributing to, as some Congress leaders say, a BJP victory.

George rubbished suggestions that this was the reason behind the Karnataka government’s move to ban Owaisi’s entry, instead while not overtly drawing an equivalence between Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s ( VHP) Praveen Togadia and Owaisi, said that both gave incendiary speeches contributing to a “communally vitiated atmosphere.”

“It is our prime responsibility to maintain law and order in the state, and we have noticed that some of these leaders have a habit of coming and giving provocative speeches. In Asaduddin Owaisi’s cases there are legal cases against him in Hyderabad and other places, and earlier there was an incident in Bidar too involving him and his brother Akbaruddin Owaisi.

This is why we are taking a precautionary move to maintain the peace,” he said. “As for the political motives being attributed to us banning Owaisi and Togadia, this country is a democracy, people are free to elect who they want. Their freedom of speech cannot be misused to create trouble for people or harm them,” he said.

George added that the state was a “peace loving” one and that speakers like Toagdia and Owaisi only stoked trouble in their wake. He dismissed all suggestions that the Congress government in the state was politically wary of Owaisi who had found some traction among the minority community.

“The Congress is organisationally strong in the state, and there is no fear. In Maharashtra a whole host of reasons can be cited for the Congress’ loss and their minor gains,” George said. The state, one of the few Congress bastions left in the country, has been treading more than carefully around political challenges. Both Toagdia and Owaisi it seems will not be allowed to upset this applecart.