‘Main nahi maanta…’ Asaduddin Owaisi quotes Pakistani poet Habib Jalib in Lok Sabha; ‘Muslims made untouchables’

Hyderabad Member of Parliament (MP) Asaduddin Owaisi quoted Pakistani revolutionary poet Habib Jalib on July 29 while speaking on Budget 2024 in the Lok Sabha.

Owaisi, the president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), read lines from Habib Jalibs’s famous Urdu nazm ‘Dastoor’ to criticise the ‘discriminatory’ Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament last week.

“I wanted to say something about employment. A member just said jobs are being provided. To this I say…phool shakon pe khilne lage, tum kaho, jaam rindon ko milne lage tum kaho, chaak sinon ke silne lage tum kaho, is khule jhoot ko, zehan ki luut ko, main nahin maanta main nahin jaanta..(Flowers have blossomed, you may say; wine is being offered to those who drink, you may say; wounds are being healed, you may say; this open lie, this loot of minds, I refuse to accept, I refuse to acknowledge)” Owaisi said, emphasising that the government may keep claiming jobs have been given, but he doesn’t buy it.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Budget 2024 in the Parliament on July 23. The Budget 2024 came against the backdrop of a changed political landscape in the country. The BJP fell short of the majority mark in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, forcing it to rely on its National Democratic Alliance(NDA) allies, including N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), to form the government at the Centre.

Dastoor, by Habib Jalib

Jalib wrote ‘Dastoor’ in 1962, when Pakistani military dictator General Ayub Khan implemented a law to elect the acting president indirectly through the electoral college instead of direct democracy. The ‘nazm’ basically vents the political frustration of the ordinary Pakistani. Jalib would go on singing the poem in public gatherings and on stage.

Earlier, Owaisi highlighted that Muslims were allegedly ignored in the Budget 2024. “17 Crore Muslims are the poorest among all communities… Only 5 per cent of enrolment in Higher Education… Muslim youths do not get education and jobs. Modi government should stop discriminating towards Muslims. How will you ensure Viksit Bharat when you hate 17 Crore Muslims,” Owaisi said.