The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena on Monday launched sharp attacks on All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi after the Hyderabad MP used Prime Minister Narendra Modi's conferral of Uzbekistan's highest state honour — the Order of Oliy Darajali Dustlik — to draw a political parallel to the Mughal emperor Babur's Central Asian origins. The BJP said Babur is 'probably in Owaisi's DNA,' while Shiv Sena accused him of being unable to think beyond the medieval ruler.

What Owaisi Said

On Sunday, Owaisi offered what he framed as a congratulatory remark, saying he was glad the very country from which Babur came to India had chosen to honour the Prime Minister. He noted that Babur hailed from the Fergana Valley in present-day Uzbekistan and observed that it had become routine for Modi to receive honours during foreign visits. 'Wherever the Prime Minister goes these days, he returns with an award. Congratulations,' Owaisi said. The remark was widely read as a political taunt directed at the BJP's ideological position on the Mughal legacy.

BJP's Counter-Attack

BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain rejected the framing outright, arguing that the honour transcends any historical association. 'If Babur came, that country is different. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi got the highest honour of that country, then this is not PM Modi's honour, it is India's honour,' Hussain said. He added that nations across the CIS bloc and the Islamic world had conferred their highest awards on Modi, underscoring what he described as India's rising global stature.

Union Minister of State Satish Chandra Dubey was more dismissive, saying Owaisi 'keeps making extremely frivolous remarks' and that neither the public nor the media takes him seriously.

Shiv Sena Joins In

Shiv Sena spokesperson Shaina NC delivered the sharpest rebuke, accusing Owaisi of reducing every issue to a Babur reference. 'Asaduddin Owaisi, you see Babur in everything. This is your problem... Probably, Babur is in your DNA, and that's why you can't think beyond him. That's where you start, and that's where you end,' she said. She also invoked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)'s concept of nationalism, suggesting that even in discussions of global unity, Owaisi defaults to Babur as his reference point.

Samajwadi Party Offers a Distinction

Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson Ashutosh Verma stepped into the debate with a different argument, cautioning against conflating Muslim invaders with Mughal rulers. 'The Mughals were also part of India's history, and during their time, India made significant progress as well. The country also suffered destruction at the hands of invaders. You cannot put both things in the same box,' Verma said. The SP's intervention signals a broader political fault line over how India's medieval history should be narrated in contemporary discourse.

The Backdrop: Modi's Uzbekistan Honour

The Order of Oliy Darajali Dustlik is Uzbekistan's highest state decoration, awarded for outstanding contributions to strengthening bilateral ties. Prime Minister Modi's receipt of the honour during a recent foreign visit is the latest in a series of international recognitions he has received from countries across Asia, Europe, and the Gulf. Critics, including Owaisi, have questioned the political optics around such honours; the ruling dispensation views them as affirmations of India's diplomatic ascent under Modi's leadership. The exchange underscores how foreign policy milestones increasingly feed directly into domestic political narratives.