AIMIM MLA dodges question about Akbaruddin Owaisi not apologizing for Anti-Hindu speech

Newly-elected All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA, Imtiaz Jaleel did not give a direct answer as to why Akbaruddin Owaisi had not apologized for remarks against the Hindus, for which he was booked. He was left floundering when asked why his party leader was 'anti-Hindu' in his speech, as not all members of the community are communal – a reason often cited by the party for speeches made by late Thackeray and Togadia.

Former journalist Jaleel was interacting with the press, a day after the oath-taking ceremony of elected representatives. The party made a stunning debut at Aurangabad, the constituency Jaleel won from.

On being asked why Owaisi had not apologized for his remarks as yet, Jaleel skipped giving any direct answers, saying: "The matter is going on in court. In the past, there have been inflammatory speeches made by Balasaheb and Togadia, but no action was ever taken. The system is hollow in some ways."

Asked whether that justified the conduct, Jaleel said: "I am not justifying, but there have been similar speeches and no action was taken. In his case, he was in jail for two months. We will accept any verdict given by the court."

But why has his leader not apologized as yet? "If the court says he should apologise, he should. In this state, we have come to give representation to all those who have been left out. The media has painted the party in a wrong way. We have given tickets to members of other parties too," said Jaleel.