BJP's Dilip Jaiswal takes swipe at Owaisi over Trump-Maduro remark; calls AIMIM chief 'sensationalist'

Patna (Bihar) [India], January 4 (ANI): Bihar Minister Dilip Jaiswal on Sunday said that AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has a habit of indulging in sensationalism following latter's attempt to draw parallels between India-Pakistan and US-Venezuela situation.
Speaking to ANI, Jaiswal said Owaisi "is known for sensational news" and joked that the AIMIM leader now appeared to be "advising US President Donald Trump".
He added, "I pray that the US President Donald Trump will consider his advice."
The remarks came after Owaisi, addressing a gathering in Mumbai for BMC elections, referred to reports about Trump-era US forces capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He demanded that the Indian Prime Minister should do the same to bring back the 'mastermind' of the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
Owaisi said, "Today we heard that US President Donald Trump's forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and took him from his country to America. If US President Donald Trump can abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from his own country, then you (Prime Minister Modi) can also go to Pakistan and bring back the mastermind of the 26/11 terrorist attacks to India."
In an official X post, Owaisi stated, "If @realDonaldTrump can pick up Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro from there, then why can't @narendramodi pick up the masterminds of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks from Pakistan?" He also shared a video of making giving him a statement in the X post.

जब @realDonaldTrump Venezuela से वहाँ के President Nicolas Maduro को उठा सकता है, तो @narendramodi 26/11 मुंबई हमलों के masterminds को Pakistan से क्यों नहीं उठाते? pic.twitter.com/ZGUJjpOQpR

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) January 4, 2026

Owaisi's statement triggered sharp political reactions across parties. The leaders of the BJP and its allies described the comparison as exaggerated and provocative, urging political restraint in discussing matters of national security.
In Nandurbar, Maharashtra, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale responded to ANI by recalling India's past security responses, stating, "When our people were killed in Pahalgam, revenge was taken for that." Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent comments, Athawale added, "Yesterday, PM Narendra Modi said that we don't want war, we want Buddha... If PM Modi wanted to wage war, Pakistan would have been wiped clean."
On Saturday, Washington carried out a "large-scale strike against Venezuela", and the deposed dictator, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and taken out of the country.
Maduro and Flores were captured in Caracas and flown out of the country in a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement.
Trump stated that Maduro and his wife have been indicted on charges of alleged "drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies" in the Southern District of New York and will face trial.
He said that American forces, working with law enforcement agencies, captured Maduro and his wife in a night-time operation. (ANI)