Shravasti/Bahraich (UP), Oct 4 (PTI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday accused the BJP and Samajwadi Party of engaging in “noora kushti (staged fight)” in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that the state’s Muslims were being denied justice.
Addressing a rally in Bhinga, the headquarters of Shravasti district, Owaisi also criticised the INDIA bloc parties and said the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) would not act as a “vote bank”, demanding political representation for Muslims.
Earlier in Bahraich, Owaisi also questioned the SP’s decision to field industrialist Dhanraj Nathwani as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Uttar Pradesh.
“An industrialist whose father is a BJP Rajya Sabha member and who defeated an INDIA bloc-backed JMM candidate through cross-voting in Jharkhand has now been made an SP candidate,” Owaisi told reporters.
Referring to Nathwani’s association with the Gujarat Cricket Association, he said, “In Gujarat politics, the president of a cricket association is indirectly a political position.”
Targeting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Owaisi alleged that they were engaged in “noora kushti”, with one targeting Muslims while the other benefiting from their votes.
On the INDIA bloc, Owaisi said the AIMIM had already made its position clear and cited Bihar’s example.
Upon being asked why the alliance was not speaking to the AIMIM about including it, he said, “We say we will not lay the carpet; we are not a vote bank; we want our rights. Muslims should have a political identity.”
Owaisi announced Daddan Khan as the AIMIM’s proposed candidate for the Bhinga Assembly seat, and sought the gathering’s approval.
Alleging that Uttar Pradesh Muslims were facing atrocities, Owaisi claimed that madrasas, graveyards and shrines were being demolished with bulldozers.
Highlighting the socio-economic conditions in Shravasti, he cited figures attributed to a 2023 NITI Aayog report. He claimed that 75 per cent of the district’s population was poor, that a large proportion of children were unable to complete basic schooling and that several villages lacked adequate drinking water and electricity.
“Delhi has the emperor, Uttar Pradesh has Baba and the SP has Bhaiya. All of them have ruined Bhinga,” he said.
Owaisi said the BJP had been in power at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh for years, while the SP had earlier governed the state, and alleged that the district’s elected representatives had failed to raise its development issues forcefully.
Appealing to the SP to consider an alliance with the AIMIM, he said, “If the aim is to stop the BJP from forming the government for the third time and prevent Baba from becoming chief minister, the Majlis is ready to extend its hand.”
However, he warned that if the offer was denied, the AIMIM would contest the elections “with full strength”.
Referring to the 2022 attack on his convoy in Uttar Pradesh, Owaisi said he had not been intimidated and claimed he was prepared to fight for the rights of Muslims.
“The 19 crore Muslims of India are not your ancestral property. We are human beings, not just voters,” he said, targeting the SP and INDIA bloc parties. PTI COR CDN SHS
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