'I love you ...': Asaduddin Owaisi adds new twist to row over 'I love Muhammad' posters in UP | WATCH

AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi. (File: PTI)

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday said there was nothing "anti-national" about the 'I love Prophet Muhammad' posters that have been termed provocative by authorities in Uttar Pradesh and that no one should have a problem if a slogan promotes "love".

Asked by a reporter about the 'I love Mahadev' counter campaign launched by some Hindus in response to the controversy over 'I love Muhammad' posters, Owaisi said there was nothing wrong with it either.

He then went on to question the name of the reporter who posed this question. When the reporter responded, saying that his name is Ishmit, Owaisi quickly responded, saying: "I will say I love Ishmit. What is anti-national in this? How does it promote violence? If the word is ‘love’, then why should anyone have a problem? This means that you are against love. You do not believe in love. I think we have to play the ‘Mohabbat Zindabad’ song from Mughal-E-Azam for these people," Owaisi said while speaking to reporters in Bihar's Purnia.

VIDEO | Purnea: AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) reacts to the ‘I Love Muhammad row, “If there is a ‘I Love Mahadev’ group then what is the problem? What is anti-national here? What sort of violence this promotes? If the word is ‘Love’ then why is anyone having a… pic.twitter.com/owF5XOMWfU

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 26, 2025

Owaisi's remarks come in response to the development on September 9 when police in Kanpur filed an FIR against nine people and 15 unidentified persons for allegedly putting up "I Love Mohammad" boards on a road during a Barawafat procession on September 4. Hindu groups objected, calling it a "new trend" and a deliberate provocation.

The matter drew wider attention after Owaisi defended the posters on social media, insisting that "saying I Love Muhammad is not a crime."

Speaking to the media, Owaisi also cited Article 25 of the Constitution, saying freedom of religion was a fundamental right. "A Muslim’s faith is not complete until he loves Prophet Muhammad more than everything else in the world. What message are you sending to the world by objecting to this?" he asked.

The AIMIM leader also slammed the Uttar Pradesh government, alleging that authorities there were imposing selective restrictions. "In UP, the ADGP is saying that new posters will not be allowed. But 'Happy Birthday Prime Minister' or 'Happy Birthday Chief Minister' posters will be allowed. Then make a law that nobody in this country will talk about love," he added.

Owaisi's reaction came a day after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday defended the right to express love for Prophet Muhammad and asked how three simple words — "I Love Muhammad" — could be deemed unlawful.

Abdullah said someone would need to be truly mentally unwell to file a case over these three words and urged the courts to quickly set this right.

"Why should anyone object to writing this? Who can have an issue with these three words? I cannot understand how writing these three words can lead to an arrest. It must mean someone is truly mentally unwell to file a case over these three words. I would like the courts to quickly set this right. How is writing 'I Love Muhammad' unlawful?" Omar told reporters.

Abdullah said even if linked to a particular religion, writing 'I Love Muhammad' should not be an issue, as people of other faiths also express devotion to their gurus or deities.

"Don’t followers of other religions write about their deities? Don’t our Sikh brothers and sisters write about their gurus? Don't our Hindu brothers and sisters write about their various gods? They do. Go anywhere outside Jammu and Kashmir, and you will hardly find a vehicle without a picture of a deity. If that is not unlawful, then how is this?" Omar asked.