BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who was in Hyderabad Monday to campaign for his party ahead of the GHMC polls, lashed out at Asaduddin Owaisi and AIMIM during his address. Much to the cheers of his supporters, the Karnataka BJP leader said that Owaisi is a new avatar of MA Jinnah, the father of Pakistan.

"If you vote for Owaisi here, he will become strong in Maharashtra. If you vote for Owaisi here, he will become strong in Bihar and in the Muslim localities of Karnataka. You must defeat him," Surya thundered.

He alleged that Owaisi has previously said that he wants to turn Hyderabad into an Istanbul. "Where is Istanbul? It's in Turkey, which is a Muslim-majority country. MIM is a Muslim-only party. If you empower him, he will turn Hyderabad of India into Hyderabad of Pakistan," Surya added.

In another address, KT Rama Rao of the TRS had said that BJP only knows how to prop up Hindu-Muslim issues. "That's why they are targeting TRS and MIM," the Minister alleged.