Hyderabad/IBNS: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Navneet Rana has made a jibe at AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's brother Akbaruddin Owaisi referring to the latter's 11-year-old speech which was allegedly a threat to the Hindus.

Campaigning for BJP candidate Madhavi Lata in Hyderabad, Rana said, "The younger brother says 'remove police for 15 minutes and then we will show what we can do'.

"He might need 15 minutes but if he removes the police, we will take only 15 seconds..."

As a counter, Asaduddin says, "I request Modi-ji (Narendra Modi, Prime Minister) to give her 15 seconds and we want to see how much humanity is left in them. What will they do? Will they make us face the same fate as Akhlaq, Pehlu Khan..? We are ready."

"I openly challenge them to do it," he added.

In another remark, Rana said people who would vote for Congress and AIMIM will give their mandate in favour of Pakistan.

"If someone votes for AIMIM and Congress, he/she will cast their mandate in favour of Pakistan," he added.

Countering the remark, Asaduddin Owaisi said, "BJP and Narendra Modi find all Muslims in India as Pakistanis. We have to defeat this kind of an ideology of RSS, which hates the pluralism and diversity of India."

Asaduddin Owaisi locked horns with Modi previously after the Prime Minister claimed Congress and BRS have leased Hyderabad to the AIMIM.

Speaking at a rally in Telangana, Modi said, "The appeasement bond between Congress and BRS is very strong. They have given Hyderabad to MIM in a lease. BJP is the first party to challenge MIM, which is now worried.

"Congress and BRS are even more worried than MIM. Congress and BRS are now trying hard to make MIM win."

Slamming Modi, Owaisi posted on X, "Modi came to Telangana and said that the Hyderabad seat has been given on lease to Owaisi. The people of Hyderabad are not cattle. We are citizens, not the property of political parties. For forty years, Hyderabad has defeated the evil ideology of Hindutva and entrusted AIMIM. inshallah Hindutva will be defeated again.

"Modi is bonded to those who gave his party ₹6000 crores through electoral bonds. In return, he has leased/sold India’s assets to his “sponsors”. Modi appeased them so much that today 21 people have more wealth than 70 crore Indians in total. Those 21 are his real “parivar.”

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP fielded actress-politician Madhavi Latha against Owaisi, who won the Hyderabad seat four times.

Telangana will go to polls on May 13.