Asaduddin Owaisi cites 2001 Census to claim abortions mainly among Hindus, irks BJP

The AIMIM chief cited the 2001 Census to make his claims on growing abortions in the country.

Hyderabad: AMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, one of the most outspoken critics of the ordinance that made instant "triple talaq" a criminal offence, said on Monday that abortions primarily occur in the Hindu community, evoking a sharp reaction from the BJP which dubbed his remarks as "archaic and misogynistic".

Citing the 2001 census, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha member also claimed an "overwhelming" number of married women who commit suicide or are murdered for dowry are also Hindus.

"Abortions are primarily Hindus; that overwhelming number of married women who commit suicide or are brutally murdered for dowry are Hindus; that a majority of those who are deserted and become destitute in India as per the 2001 census report are Hindus," he said on Twitter.

abortions are primarily Hindus; that overwhelming number of married women who commit suicide or are brutally murdered for dowry are Hindus; that a majority of those who are deserted and become destitute in India as per the 2001 census report are Hindus. https://t.co/lJ6qUrIz08 — Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) September 24, 2018

Owaisi posted his comments tweeting a newspaper article titled "Outlawing triple talaq will not help women".

Reacting to the comments of the All India Majlis-e- Ittehad-ul Muslimeen leader, the BJP's Telangana spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao said, "Owaisi's mindset has been exposed with these remarks which are archaic and misogynistic."

"Instead of applauding the initiative taken by the BJP government in bringing out triple talaq ordinance, he is indulging in comparative analysis of the plight of women with other religion.

"He seems to blinded by both his own fundamentalist mindset and lack of any basis to compare 84 per cent of the population with less than 15 per cent," Rao said.

Rao said Owaisi was feigning ignorance about the fact that almost all crimes committed against Muslim women go unreported.

Owaisi had on Wednesday called the ordinance against instant triple talaq "anti-Muslim women", claiming it would lead to more injustice to them.

He had instead demanded a legislation to protect Hindu women deserted by their husbands.

Owaisi noted that marriage in Islam was a civil contract and bringing penal provisions to tackle the practice of instant triple talaq was "wrong and unnecessary".