“What Is Anti-National About Love?” Owaisi Defends ‘I Love Muhammad’ Posters in Bihar
PakkaHyderabadi 
Asaduddin Owaisi in Bihar questions BJP over the controversy on ‘I Love Muhammad’ posters, saying “What is anti-national about love?”
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the BJP and its allies over the controversy surrounding the “I Love Muhammad” posters in Uttar Pradesh, asking what was “anti-national” about expressing love for the Prophet.
Speaking to reporters in Purnea, Bihar, where he is campaigning ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, the Hyderabad MP questioned why posters celebrating political leaders are tolerated, but posters expressing reverence for Prophet Muhammad are not.
“What is anti-national about love? Are we promoting violence with love? What is the problem? This means you are against love,” Owaisi remarked.
He added, “A Muslim is not a true Muslim till the time he believes in Muhammad as the last messenger of Allah. The biggest Muslim population in Asia lives in India. What kind of message are you giving with this reaction of yours?”
Owaisi further criticized the selective tolerance of posters in public spaces. “Happy Birthday, Prime Minister, and Happy Birthday, Chief Minister posters are allowed, but not this? They don’t want anyone to talk about love,” he said.
Sounding a note of alarm, Owaisi asked what direction the country was heading in. “What will happen? Where will we go?” he asked, accusing the ruling dispensation of stoking communal tensions instead of addressing real issues.
The AIMIM leader’s remarks came amid his campaign in Bihar’s Seemanchal region, which has a sizeable Muslim population, where he is seeking to expand his party’s influence.
