All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi yesterday slammed federal Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy for his statement that Hyderabad is a “safe zone for terrorists”.
The Hyderabad MP termed the minister’s remarks irresponsible and said it was unfortunate that he has stooped so low.
Reddy, who was elected from Secunderabad, one of the Lok Sabha constituencies in Hyderabad city, on Friday said that Hyderabad had become safe zone for terrorists as any terror incident in the country would have a link to the southern city.
“There are places in country where terror activities are on the rise. If an incident takes place in Bengaluru or Bhopal, its roots are traced to Hyderabad. State police, NIA have arrested terrorists in Hyderabad every two-three months,” Reddy had said.
Owaisi asked Reddy whether the National Investigation Agency, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) had sent advisories to the Home Ministry during the last five years on Hyderabad becoming a safe haven for terrorists.
The AIMIM chief also said for the last five years, there was complete peace in Hyderabad as no communal riots had broken out in the city and all religious festivals had passed off peacefully.
Owaisi, who was re-elected to Lok Sabha from Hyderabad for the fourth consecutive term, said Hyderabad is also the second major exporter of software exports after Bengaluru.
“The statement shows how much they hate Telangana and Hyderabad. They don’t want to see the state and the city grow because major companies are investing here due to the efforts of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao,” he said.
Owaisi said that such statements from Bharatiya Janata Party leaders are not unexpected as “wherever they see a Muslim, they think he is a terrorist”.
He claimed the BJP was following a “theory of confusion” as Prime Minister Narendra Modi says one thing while his ministers, leaders of the BJP, VHP, other organisations and Baba Ramdev say something else.
Recalling that after Modi first became prime minister, they started with ‘love jihad’, he said. 
That was followed by ‘Ghar Wapsi’, mob lynching, excesses on Dalits and “now they are speaking of safe zone for terrorists”.
After Modi took as the prime minister for a second term, a series of hate crimes against Muslims occurred in Gurugram, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, he added.
“Mere lip service will not help. You have to practically discharge your constitutional responsibility,” Owaisi said on Modi’s call to end fear among minorities.
Meanwhile, Reddy clarified that he did not say anything wrong.
But soon after his statement went viral, sources said, Home Minister Amit Shah Shah pulled up Reddy.