Hyderabad: A political row unfolded online as Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi clashed on social media over minority rights and state welfare in India.
Rijiju drew criticism after posting that minorities in India enjoy greater benefits and protection than those in majority communities, calling India the only country where this occurs. “Why do minorities from neighbouring countries migrate to India, while our minorities don’t migrate?” he asked on X (formerly Twitter), crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s welfare programmes and specific benefits offered by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Owaisi responded sharply, accusing Rijiju of misrepresenting constitutional guarantees as generosity. “You are a minister of the Republic of India, not a monarch,” he wrote. “Minorities in India enjoy fundamental rights, not favours from anyone.” He criticised Rijiju for comparing Indian Muslims to citizens of countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
In a separate tweet, Owaisi added, “We are not in the habit of fleeing. We stayed through British rule, Partition, and riots in Jammu, Nellie, Gujarat, Moradabad, Delhi. We neither collaborate with our oppressors nor hide from them. We fight for our democratic rights, and we will, inshallah.”
According to Hon’ble Minister Against Minorities, if we don’t migrate it means we are happy. Actually, we are not in the habit of fleeing: we did not run away from the British, we did not run away during partition, and we did not run away because of Jammu, Nellie, Gujarat,… https://t.co/tli4jJNEfk
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) July 7, 2025
The exchange has stirred debate over how minority rights are framed in public discourse, particularly by those in power. Rijiju has not responded further at the time of this report.