All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi come out strongly against Pakistan, calling it out for its alleged involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 Indians were killed.
"If you (Pakistan) kill innocent people in this manner, we will not remain silent," Owaisi said, addressing a rally in Maharashtra's Parbhani on Sunday, 27 April.
The Hyderabad MP argued that Pakistan is "no match for India" in any manner.
"Pakistan may be half an hour behind India in terms of time zone but in reality they are 50 years behind. Their entire Budget is equal to India's military Budget alone," Owaisi said.
He urged the Narendra Modi government to "unite India" and "give a strong answer to Pakistan". However, he cautioned the government against alienating Kashmiris.
"Just as Kashmir is an integral part of India, Kashmiris are also an integral part of India," he said, reminding how ordinary Kashmiris put their lives in danger to rescue tourists in Pahalgam.
Owaisi's Hard Line on Pakistan and Terrorism
Owaisi has consistently held an aggressive line towards Pakistan and towards terrorist organisations like ISIS and this speech is only the latest example.
"Pakistan has no right to talk about religion. They are like Khawarij. They are as bad as ISIS."Asaduddin Owaisi
Khawarij or Kharijites were a radical school of thought from the early period of Islam who had assassinated Hazrat Ali, considered the fourth Caliph by Sunnis and first Imam by Shias.
Due to their actions and beliefs, many Muslims consider Khawarij as being outside the pale of Islam. ISIS are often described as 'Khawarij' by many modern scholars due to their extremist interpretations that are often used to justify mass killing of Muslims.
Owaisi has been one of the most vocal critics of ISIS in India, even going to the extent of calling the "dogs of hell". In a number of speeches over the years, he threatened that he will "cut ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi into a thousand pieces".