AIMIM lawmaker from Hyderabad Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday took exception to Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy’s observation that Hyderabad is a ‘den of terrorists’.
Participating in the debate on The National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the Lok Sabha, Mr Owaisi referred to a video circulated by the terror group IS which has described him (Owaisi) as a ‘slave of the Hindu nation’.
In that context, he maintained: “So, what am I ? Am I with the nation or with the terrorist? Let the government reply to that”.
Opposing the Bill, he also referred to old terror cases and wherein some of the accused have been acquitted by the court.
“Will the government tender a written apology ?,” he asked.
BJP lawmaker Nishikant Dubey raising point of order said as some of these cases are still pending in the court, Owaisi had no right to raise these in the House.
Speaker Om Birla said he will look into the records and give his ruling accordingly.
The Hyderabad MP also referred to two countries and said they were not democratic.
On this BJP MP, Dubey said no such words could be used for any sovereign nation.
Participating in the debate, New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi also of BJP said the NIA Bill is highly essential as the Bill states that among other things, the officers of the NIA will “have the power” to investigate scheduled offences committed outside India, subject to international treaties and domestic laws of other countries.
“Without new NIA Bill, even the video matter referred by Owaisi cannot be probed…no agency can probe this at present,” Lekhi said.
