Hyderabad: All India Ittehad ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday, October 11, urged the Congress in Maharashtra to join hands with the party. He called for the unity of the Opposition to defeat the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena party led by Eknath Shinde in the upcoming Assembly elections.
While slamming the Congress after its defeat in the Haryana polls, Asaduddin Owaisi, criticised the party for blaming its losses on the AIMIM in states where it has a presence and terming his party as the B-Team of BJP. “I wasn’t there or else they would blame it on ‘the B-team’. I also decided to sit by and watch the drama. They lost there and because of who?” questioned Owaisi.
He alleged that the Congress was still perplexed over the reason for their loss, despite his absence in Haryana.
“Samajh mei nahi aara harney waloun ko. ‘Arey Sherwani toh nahi aayi yaha pe. Sar pe topi, dadhi wala toh nahi aaya bhadkao bhashan dene. Hum kaisa haar gaye?’ (They are unable to comprehend their loss. That man in Sherwani did not come here. The one with a head cap and beard did not come to deliver an inciting speech. How did we lose here? ‘” said Owaisi slamming the grand old party.
He further urged the Congress to unite the opposition to defeat and eliminate the BJP. “Samjhao meri baat ko. Modi ku harana hai na toh tumko sab ko saath lekar chalna padega. Tum akele kuch nahi kar paogey. (Try and understand what I am trying to say. if you want to defeat Modi, you will have to unite the Opposition and walk alongside them. You will not be able to do anything alone.)”
Asaduddin Owaisi urges Congress to join forces in Maharashtra
Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has reached out to the Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar) to form an alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections.
AIMIM aims to contest in 28 Muslim-dominated constituencies.
Former MP and AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel confirmed that a formal proposal has been sent to the presidents of both parties. “We consulted AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and sent a letter to the Congress and NCP (SP),” Jaleel said as per PTI.
He questioned the Congress and NCP’s decision to ally with Shiv Sena (UBT), which he said had only recently embraced secularism, and suggested that AIMIM could similarly be part of the MVA alliance.
Jaleel emphasized that AIMIM could pose a strong challenge in 28 seats and cautioned against fielding too many candidates, as it could benefit the BJP. He also mentioned that AIMIM is open to contesting fewer seats if necessary.
Maharashtra Assembly elections
The upcoming elections for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly are expected in November. The BJP currently holds 103 seats, followed by the NCP with 41, Congress with 40, Shiv Sena (UBT) with 15, NCP (SP) with 13, and others with 29.
The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM currently has two MLAs in Maharashtra, from Malegaon Central and Dhule City. Additionally, 25 out of the 113 Corporators in Maharashtra belong to AIMIM.
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