All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi Tuesday kickstarted his party’s campaign for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections from Ayodhya district, saying his party’s aim is to establish a political leadership that represents Muslim interests too in the state, news agency ANI reported.
Addressing a poll rally, Owaisi said the AIMIM will fight the polls with full strength and that his party has strengthened its roots here in the past five years.
He further said the Muslim community has not had a political leadership or voice in Uttar Pradesh so far.
Owaisi’s AIMIM is set to contest 100 out of the total 403 assembly seats in the politically crucial Hindi heartland state.
On a possible alliance with Samajwadi Party, Owaisi said if Akhilesh Yadav is ready to talk, he will engage in the conversation. “But if you think you will behave with me the way you behave with some Muslims in your party, then I would prefer to die,” he cautioned.
Later, addressing a press conference in Lucknow, the AIMIM chief said the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh will win the elections. Owaisi also asserted that his party’s objective is to defeat the BJP.
The AIMIM leader targeted the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Aam Aadmi Party, saying they did not want anyone from the Muslim community to emerge as a leader.
“Muslims used to do ‘gulami’ (slavery) of Samajwadi Party and BSP and raise slogans in their favour and make their government. But when it came to giving Muslims participation, these parties said nothing,” he said.
Meanwhile, jailed gangster and former MP Atiq Ahmad and his wife on Tuesday joined AIMIM in presence of Owaisi, drawing a sharp reaction from the BJP, which said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will not allow “Jinnah’s jehadi mentality” to flourish in Uttar Pradesh.
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Defending his decision to induct Ahmad, who has several criminal cases lodged against him, Owaisi said many BJP leaders, too, are facing cases.
On giving tickets to Hindus, Owiasi said, “The OBCs are our brothers, we will give tickets to Dalits also and they will win.”
