Rijiju and Owaisi Trade Barbs Over India’s Minority Benefits Claim

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju has drawn sharp criticism from AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi after asserting that religious minorities in India enjoy "more benefits and protections" than the Hindu majority. Rijiju made the claim in an Indian Express interview reviewing 11 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration and repeated it on X, contending that government funding and welfare measures disproportionately favour minority communities. Owaisi replied on the social-media platform that the remarks disregarded discrimination and violence faced by Muslims. He argued that minority rights are constitutional guarantees, not "charity," and questioned whether abuse, lynchings and demolition of Muslim properties constitute the benefits Rijiju described. The Hyderabad MP also cited cuts to scholarships such as the Maulana Azad National Fellowship and reduced allocations for pre- and post-matric aid as evidence of declining state support. Responding to Owaisi, Rijiju asked why minorities from neighbouring countries “prefer to come to India” if conditions were as dire as alleged, maintaining that Modi-era welfare schemes cover all citizens while offering additional assistance to minorities. Owaisi countered that Indian Muslims have historically chosen to stay and fight for their rights rather than migrate, urging the minister to benchmark India against constitutional standards instead of neighbouring states.