AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said he is open to an alliance with parties looking to prevent the BJP from returning to power in Uttar Pradesh for a third consecutive term.Addressing a public meeting in Kanpur’s Cantonment constituency on Sunday, he urged voters to strengthen AIMIM’s presence in the state, saying the (Muslim) community needs a “voice” in the UP Assembly.
“We also do not want the BJP government to be formed in UP for the third time. If you want to stop the BJP from forming the government again, come and join hands with AIMIM,” he said. The Hyderabad MP said his party would wait until October 2 and announce its alliance, if any, after that.
He also referred to AIMIM’s similar proposal during the Bihar polls, saying his party had offered to contest six seats as part of an alliance but was instead subjected to “false allegations”. Targeting Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Owaisi asked the audience: “Your Akhilesh ‘bhaiya’ came to power, how many riots took place?”
He then referred to the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013, saying around 50,000 people had been displaced from their homes and villages, and questioned the representation of Muslims in the SP government at the time. Owaisi also accused successive governments in the state of failing to address the socio-economic and educational problems of Muslims.
“Now elections are coming…many people will come to you. They will show you the old fear,” he said, referring to appeals to Muslim voters to support established political parties to prevent the BJP from returning to power.
Owaisi also attacked the BJP government over its actions concerning madrassas and referred to the role of Muslim clerics and religious scholars in the freedom struggle. He also criticised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his references to freedom fighter and former Congress president Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar.
The AIMIM chief spoke about the history of Kanpur’s madrassas and claimed that Muslim ulemas had issued a fatwa against the British during the freedom movement.
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