‘Country from where Babur came’: Owaisi takes dig at BJP, RSS over Modi’s Uzbek honour

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on being conferred Uzbekistan's highest state honour, the Order of "Oliy Darajali Dustlik", while taking a swipe at the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) over its references to Mughal emperor Babur in political discourse.

“I congratulate the BJP; the very country from which Babur came to India has conferred an award upon the Prime Minister. The Fergana Valley is in Uzbekistan. Wherever the Prime Minister goes these days, he returns with an award,” Owaisi told news agency ANI.

Prime Minister Modi on Sunday received Uzbekistan's highest state honour from President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and thanked his "brother" for the recognition, saying that India and Uzbekistan would work together for the welfare of the Global South and humanity.

"Congratulations. You used to hurl so many insults in Babur's name, yet the people of that very country are now honoring you with an award. The Sangh needs to reflect on this... We hope that members of the Sangh Parivar and RSS supporters will no longer speak of Babur in that manner," the Hyderabad MP said.

Why is Babur significant?

The Mughal Empire began in 1526 and lasted for over 200 years. At its peak, it covered modern-day India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The empire was founded by Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur, popularly known as Babur, a Muslim warrior prince from Central Asia, who descended from the Mongols. The Mughal emperors were Muslims.

Babur has long featured in the BJP and wider Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)'s political rhetoric through the Ayodhya dispute, where the 16th-century Mughal emperor became associated with the Babri Masjid and the campaign to reclaim the site for a Ram temple. The BJP became the political face of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in the late 1980s and 1990s, with the issue becoming a major factor in the party’s rise.

Owaisi, in his statement, is taking a swipe at the BJP and the RSS by invoking the Mughal emperor's place of origin, Uzbekistan, honouring PM Modi despite the RSS's repeated use of Babur as a political target.

The RSS is the ideological fountainhead of the BJP.

Addressing President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as his friend and expressing gratitude for the warmth extended to him and his delegation during his two-day state visit, PM Modi said the visit would remain memorable for him.

"My friend, the father of the economic revolution in Uzbekistan, who has served as a role model across this entire region in scaling new heights of development-this two-day visit of mine will always be remembered," PM Modi said.

Old trick from the RSS playbook: Owaisi

Earlier, Owaisi also reacted to RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat's remarks made during the 'One World One Humanity' event in New York. Owaisi took a jibe at the organisation.

He said, "What the current RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said is an old trick from the RSS playbook. They will never disavow or retract the things the RSS has consistently stated."

He alleged that there was a difference between the speeches delivered by the RSS for the public and those meant for its members.

"There is a distinct difference between the speeches they deliver for the outside world and those meant for their own members--this has always been their playbook style," Owaisi said.

The AIMIM chief further alleged that the RSS did not participate in India's freedom struggle and referred to the organisation's founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar's association with the Indian National Congress.

(With agency inputs)