Known for fiery speeches, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday got emotional talking about Bilkis Bano while campaigning in Gujarat's Jamalpur.
Speaking to ANI, he said that he got emotional as thoughts of his own sisters and daughters crossed his mind while he was talking about Bilkis.
"We are humans after and are prone to get emotional. While I was talking about Bilkis Bano, throughts of my own sister and daughter crossed to my mind. She was pregnant when she was raped and her mother and daughter were also killed. However, even after 20 years, she is still fighting for justice. If someone doesn't feel the pain, he is not worthy of being called human," he said.
On why the 2002 post-Godhra riots and the Bilkis Bano case are getting traction in the campaign phases of the ongoing Assembly elections, Owaisi said, "The BJP will never forget 2002. PM Modi was the chief minister at the time. He failed to save Bilkis Bano, Ehsaan Jafri, and those killed in the bakery. Around 50,000 people in the state were forced to become refugees. I, too, went there with a medical team. So, if PM Modi is invoking all that had happened then, congratulations to him," he said.
Talking about his party's prospects in the polls, the AIMIM chief said, "We are fighting for 13 seats in Vidhan Sabha and our focus is on winning them. We have worked very hard, visited every locality and have got a great response from the public. I hope that this support turns into votes and our candidates become MLAs."
The second and final phase will be held on Sunday and the results will be declared on December 8.