By Hasan Akram
New Delhi: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) has not formed its official body in West Bengal yet. Hence, it has not a single member in the state officially. However, it has decided to fight the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal next year.
‘MIM has its supporters in the state and it is about to form a body at district level and start a membership drive there, Zamirul Hasan the unofficial state convener of MIM told Muslim Mirror.
However, former AIMIM politician Anwar Pasha, who on Monday joined the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), took strong objection to Owaisi’s decision to contest next year’s assembly elections amid the lack of AIMIM’s body in West Bengal.
The party had not even formed its body in the state and “in 11th hour” its leaders said they will participate in whole state, Pasha said.
“You don’t have a base in West Bengal. If you had the base, you would have formed the body,” he said while speaking to Muslims Mirror.
However Hasan has confirmed that AIMIM has not formed its body in West Bengal yet.
Speaking to MM, Zamirul Hasan alleged that Pasha was expelled from AIMIM a year ago as the party leadership had received corruption-related complaints against him. When Hasan was asked if any termination letter was issued to Pasha he said,
“No one in West Bengal is an official member of AIMIM. When the party has not been launched here how can you ask for an official letter ?”
It is pertinent to note that a controversy began between AIMIM leaders and Pasha, who along with several other AIMIM workers joined TMC on Monday in Kolkata. Pasha said he was the “face of AIMIM” in West Bengal.
AIMIM’s participation in Bengal elections likely to cause counter polarisation!
Pasha slammed AIMIM for its decision to contest the 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal. He said that AIMIM’s participation will cause counter polarisation in the state. “If you fight even one seat in Malda, Murshidabad or Deenajpur people in all the neighbouring districts will get polarised”.
“When the slogan for unity of Muslims will be raised, we will actually be pushing our secular Hindu brothers towards BJP,” he said.
It is noteworthy that AIMIM in 2015 had withdrawn its decision to fight elections in Delhi even after it body was formed and “everything had been okayed”. The party found its participation will benefit the BJP and urged people to vote for secular parties. Similarly, AIMIM decided not to contest in Karnataka in 2018 and extended its supported to Janata Dal (Secular).
Referring to AIMIM’s previous decisions, Pasha asked “But why are you [AIMIM] so hasty about West Bengal when you are seeing the situation is unfavourable?”
“You [AIMIM] are fully aware what harm your entry in the electoral politics of Bengal can create. The BJP wants to win the fort of Bengal in any cost so that it can pave the way to make India a Hindu nation.” He added.
AIMIM wants TMC to agree on seat sharing
AIMIM spokesperson Asim Waqar has earliersaid that TMC was invited to form an alliance with AIMIM. However, it was not ready to do so.
Conforming to Waqar’s claim, Hasan added, “We are saying let us fight fight 94 seats and you [TMC] contest the remaining 200 seats.”
Commenting on the said proposal, Pasah said, “Do you [AIMIM] have a body in West Bengal? If you don’t have then on what grounds do you want to fight elections here… Leave assembly elections, AIMIM is not in a position to win a councilor’s seat in Bengal.”
After winning five assembly seats in Bihar, AIMIM is all set to fileld its candidates in West Bengal. However, the lack of organization in the state puts a question mark on the party’s preparedness to contest the assembly polls on approximately 100 seats.