UP: AIMIM will contest all seats in future polls, says party’s state chief

Hyderabad: Uttar Pradesh AIMIM president Shaukat Ali on Sunday said that the party will contest all the seats in future elections in the state, while also claiming that many leaders of the Samajwadi Party will join the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party in the future.

Speaking to ANI, Ali said that the Muslims have always supported “secular forces” to defeat the BJP.

“The people are coming towards AIMIM now. We are contesting in East UP, Purwanchal, Central UP and Bundelkhand. Leaders of the Samajwadi Party will join MIM. The 2017 elections were polarised by the BJP through the media. The Muslims thought that the Samajwadi Party could defeat the BJP. Since independence, the Muslims have always supported secular forces to defeat the BJP,” he said.

Stating that his party chief Owaisi never polarised by speaking on the “Hindu-Muslim issues”, Ali said that the party will keep fighting for the community.

“Owaisi never spoke about Hindu-Muslim issues. ATMs were blacklisted in Muslim areas, so it became national news. It became a Hindu-Muslim issue. There are hardly any banks in Muslim areas in UP. No schools, no proper hospitals and medicines in these areas. We will keep fighting for all this,” Ali said.

He also questioned Samajwadi Party’s silence on the issues relating to Muslims and said that Akhilesh Yadav is silent when madrasas are surveyed in Uttar Pradesh.

“The Samajwadi Party is silent on Muslim issues. Even Akhilesh is silent when our madrasas are surveyed. No Muslim leader in Samajwadi Party, BSP or Congress talks about Muslim welfare. Only Asaduddin Owaisi does,” he said.

Last month, after the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a survey of Islamic educational institutions or Madrassas in Kanpur, Owaisi alleged that the government is targeting Waqf property which is a “systematic targeting of Muslims”.

Attacking the Uttar Pradesh government, Owaisi alleged that there is a conspiracy behind madrasas’ survey.

While addressing the media persons in Hyderabad, he said, “Why are you (UP Govt) conducting a survey of Waqf properties only? Do it for Hindu Endowments Board properties too. I was saying there’s a conspiracy behind madrasas’ survey. It’s coming to the fore. UP govt is violating Article 300 (Right to property).”

“If someone has illegally registered govt property as Waqf property, fight it in court, go to Tribunal. UP govt is targeting Waqf property and trying to snatch it away. Such a targeted survey is absolutely wrong. We condemn it. It’s systematic targetting of Muslims,” he added.