"Pahle Bhai, Phir BJP harai, Uske Baad Sapai (first the brother muslims, then the candidate who can defeat the BJP, then Samajwadi party) is the latest slogan coined by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadukl Musilmeen (MIM) for the UP. The Samajwadi party has been the first or the preferred choice for the muslims for the last over two decades. The Hyderabad based MIM led by Asaduddin Owasi, MP, is now asking the muslims to make SP their third choice.
After taking plunge in Bihar politics and posing a big challenge to the anti BJP ` grand alliance’ of RJD-JD (U)-Congress, UP is high on the agenda of the MIM chief Asaduddin Owasi The slogan of MIM has caused flutter in the Samajwadi party long used to en block support of the muslims ever since the demolition of the Babri mosque in 1992. The SP is worried over retaining the support of the community in 2017 state assembly polls.
Samajwadi Party has already dubed the MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Hyderabad MP as Jinnah. The SP leader in August in the meeting of the Samajwadi Intellectual cell had said ``Owaisi is the new Jinnah, his growing influence is dangerous for the nation. Pull up your socks and oppose him tooth and nail. The opposition to his brand of politics should come from UP. Fan out to every nook and corner of the state and spread awareness among the people before this leader is able to inflict damage to the social fabric
of the state’ was the common refrain in the meeting.Owaisi has seen the meteoric rise in muslims politics after the success of the MIM in October 2014 assembly elections of Maharashtra and later Bengluru municipal elections. His fiery oratory skills exhorting the muslims to elect their own Rahnuma (leader) as the so called secular parties have only exploited them to garner their votes by instilled a sense of fear of the BJP. After the foray of the MIM in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the huge crowed attracted by Owaisi in Kishenhganj area bordering Bangladesh is giving jitters to the secular alliance in Bihar. The followings of Owaisi on social media sites like Face book is over four lakhs and 80,000 were following him on Twitter"MIM is fast making inroads in UP. Our organizational structure is ready in 46 districts while membership campaign is on in 66 districts and so far we have enrolled close to eight lakh members in the state. Owaisi had visited Agra and Meerut during the month of Ramzan in July and he is likely to come to UP for a weeklong visit this month’’, said Shaukat Ali, state president of the MIM. He said `` before the 2017 UP assembly polls the MIM would like to test the electoral waters by contesting the forthcoming panchyat in the state;’’MIM counters the allegation of polarizing the voters and that its presence ultimately helps the BJP. ``The MIM did not contest the elections in MP, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, not even the municipal elections in MP yet the BJP won. Why did the so called secular parties lose in these statesIJ Of the 80 lok Sabha seats in UP, not a single muslim
candidate was elected in may 2014 parliament elections and MIM was not in the fray’’, said Shaukat Ali adding `` how can the MIM be held accountable for the incompetence of the so called secular parties’’. The MIM denies that its presence helps the BJP. The fact remains that presence of MIM leads to division of anti BJP votes. lalu and Nitish combine is worried over the presence of MIM and the same is likely to haunt the Samajwadi Party also.