The Hyderabad parliamentarian held a meeting at the party headquarters in Darussalaam. During the meet, they responded to questions posed by media persons on the Centre's decision to introduce progress panchayats (PP), an outreach program targeted at the minorities.

Asaduddin Owaisi, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president on Wednesday said that "a complete ban on gau rakshaks would show that the Modi government is "genuinely" concerned about the empowerment of the minorities."

"Let the Modi government ban 'gau rakshaks' to prove that it is genuinely concerned about the minorities," the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader said.

The Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad told the media that "constructive steps will help achieve the community's empowerment and not mere holding of panchayats. The first panchayat is proposed to be held in Haryana."

He said "the Centre is launching such panchayats from a state where two Muslim females, including a minor, were raped and two Muslim youths murdered on beef consumption accusation. The Muslims in Haryana are being harassed in the name of checking their biryani. Let them raid five-star hotels in Gurgaon and check the biryani there."

Owaisi said "Prime Minister Narendra Modi should also prove his sincerity by stopping statements emanating from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders that hurt the sentiments of the minorities. Empowerment of the Muslims was the constitutional duty of the Modi government and it was not doing a favor to the community."

The AIMIM leader also demanded five per cent quota to the Muslims in Maharashtra as per the Mumbai High Court order.

"You are giving job quota to the Jats in Haryana, to the economically backward classes in Rajasthan and to the Patels in Gujarat. Who is stopping you from extending reservation to the Muslims in Maharashtra," he asked.

Owaisi said, "the government should hold panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir, as there was an urgent need to reach out to the Kashmiris and talk to them since around 90 persons have been killed and peace remains shattered for nearly three months."

"You talk of empowerment but why are you against the minority character of the Aligarh Muslim University and the Jamia Millia," the MP asked.

Owaisi said that "the Modi government is doing minorities no favor by empowering them as it is a 'Constitutional duty'."

The High Court told "the Maharashtra government to give five per cent reservations to Muslims. You (BJP government) don't do that."

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BY M. DIVYA SRI