The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) has released a publicity video for the Maharashtra Assembly polls to highlight injustice committed against Indian Muslims and galvanize support from the community. The video, shared widely on social media, features a narrative that depicts the plight of Muslims in the state.
The video opens with a scene of a man wearing a skullcap selling pens on the streets of a city. A man clad in a saffron scarf riding a motorcycle approaches and after a brief interaction recklessly pushes the pen seller off the road and his pens spill out from the bag. The pen seller whose hopeful look turns desperate as he speaks the despondent words, “We have been oppressed for decades and nobody is taking for us.” This poignant moment sets the tone for the video, which is to convey of marginalization experienced by the Muslim community daily.
After that, the video clips also show different acts of discrimination and violence against Muslims in Maharashtra. One segment features an elderly Muslim man being slapped on a train for allegedly carrying meat, while another shows a Muslim shopkeeper expressing frustration over repeated questions about his choice of vote. The clip also includes the BJP MP Tejasvi Surya’s derogatory remarks towards Muslims by referring to them as “puncture wallas”, a slur used by the far-right BJP political leaders and Hindutva outfits to demean professions of the Muslim community and create stereotypes that all Muslims run tyre shops.
The video further illustrates the grim reality of mob lynching fueled by rumours surrounding beef consumption, showcasing news headlines that document these violent acts. One of the scenes shows a woman in a black burqa being harassed while referencing the earlier hijab controversy involving Muslim college student Muskan Khan who faced intimidation from right-wing students in Bengaluru.
Party chief Asaduddin Owaisi appears in the video addressing these topics in the Parliament including mob lynching and prejudice against Muslims. The climax culminates with a powerful voiceover of a Muslim woman boasting the message that one has dared to speak, and now we will all speak, followed by a rousing song about change and resilience.
This promotional attempt depicts AIMIM’s political policy to influence the Muslim electorate in Maharashtra aiming to position itself as a champion of their rights amidst rising communal tensions in the state. As elections draw closer, Owaisi’s party is determined to mobilise support by rallying around these injustices as well as demanding greater representation of minorities in India’s political landscape.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Sayima Ahmad | 
