Now it’s the turn of the elder brother, Asaduddin Owaisi, to get into the eye of the storm. His statement that Islam is the ‘real home’ of all persons has stirred a hornet’s nest.

The Hyderabad MP, during the course of his speech the other day, repeated the well known tradition of the Prophet that every child is born a Muslim and that its parents make him a Jew, Christian or a polytheist and therefore the real ghar wapsi should be to Islam. Mr. Owaisi was speaking at the programme organised by his party in connection with ‘Milad-un-Nabi’. Referring to the raging controversy on conversions, he said no money would be offered for conversions in Islam. People were free to choose their faith. “But those embracing Islam will succeed. This much I can say”, Mr. Owaisi said.

Congress reacted sharply to the remarks with Telangana PCC spokespersons – B. Kamalakar Rao and G. Niranjan – terming it as an assault on the country’s secular fabric.