Last Updated:
Opposition parties like the Congress have scoffed at Asaduddin Owaisi’s attempts to grow his political party outside its stronghold of the Hyderabad region.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi (PTI file photo)
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday took a dig at Opposition parties saying that the BJP has been consistently winning elections across the country because it has consolidated the Hindu votes and the Opposition is nakaam (failure).
While speaking to news agency PTI, the Hyderabad MP said that attempts to blame him were nothing but the Opposition’s ‘hatred’ for his party, which largely represents Muslims. He made the remarks when asked whether his party was the ‘B-team’ of the BJP.
“BJP is coming to power because the opposition is a failure (nakaam). BJP is winning elections because it has consolidated almost 50 per cent of the Hindu vote,” he said to the news agency.
“How can you put the blame on me, tell me? If I contest in Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Kishanganj and a few other seats in the 2024 Parliamentary elections and BJP gets 240 seats then am I responsible?” Owaisi added.
Opposition parties like the Congress have scoffed at Owaisi’s attempts to grow his political party outside its stronghold of the Hyderabad region, saying he ends up benefitting the BJP by taking away a chunk of votes, mostly Muslims.
However, the five-time Hyderabad MP countered, accusing opposition parties of taking the Muslim votes for granted and paying little heed to their real concerns.
“When every segment of the society has a semblance of political leadership, and that’s acceptable to you but you don’t want that Muslims should have a semblance of political voice, political leadership,” he added.
Asked if his remarks were aimed at the Congress, Owaisi said he was referring to all parties, including the BJP, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP).
“Yadav will be a leader, Musalmaan will be a beggar. Upper caste will be a leader, Musalmaan will be a beggar. How is that fair, tell me?” the AIMIM chief asked.
He further pointed out that Muslims have only 4% participation in the legislatures and Parliament, despite the community being the largest minority group in the country.
He cautioned that India cannot achieve the “Viksit Bharat” goal by 2047 by keeping such a large community marginalised and weak. Political parties should stop looking at Muslims as vote banks, and instead work to uplift them, educate them, treat them fairly and give them jobs, he added.
His remarks came at a time when he gained the netizens’ attention for his strong statements on Pakistan following the ghastly Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists.
Amid ratcheting up tensions between India and Pakistan, the government has been constantly updating the world on the misadventures of Pakistan. The Opposition leaders, who usually jump in to criticise the ruling regime’s actions, have strongly backed the Centre’s move against Pakistan — the proven sponsors of terrorism. Among these leaders, Asaduddin Owaisi is one of them who has emerged as favourites of the social media.
This instantly made the AIMIM chief a hit on social media. So much so that netizens who otherwise do not support his political ideology, came forward to indulge in a verbal duel with Pakistani internet users. An X user even dared one of his Pakistani counterparts to not say a word against Owaisi, adding, “Jaisa hai, humara hai (however he is, he is ours)”.
A staunch critic of the government, often accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of being anti-Muslim, Owaisi has himself been labelled by his detractors as the BJP’s “B team”. However, during Operation Sindoor, Owaisi emerged as a strong, assertive Muslim voice condemning Pakistan, even going so far as to denounce its actions as being against the teachings of Islam.
Notably, Owaisi is also a part of the seven all-party delegations that will visit partner countries to brief their governments on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and Operation Sindoor.
(With inputs from PTI)
- First Published:
