Owaisi says AIMIM open to alliance to prevent BJP's return in UP
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday said his party was willing to form an alliance with parties that want to prevent the BJP from returning to power in Uttar Pradesh for a third consecutive term.
Addressing a public meeting in Kanpur's Cantonment constituency, Owaisi appealed to voters to strengthen the AIMIM in the state, saying the Muslim community needed representation in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
He said the party would wait until October 2 before announcing whether it would enter into an alliance and, if so, with whom.
Owaisi also referred to the party's proposal during the Bihar Assembly elections, saying AIMIM had sought to contest six seats as part of an alliance but was instead faced with what he described as "false allegations".
Taking aim at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Owaisi questioned the record of the former Uttar Pradesh government while referring to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots. He said around 50,000 people had been displaced from their homes and villages and questioned the representation of Muslims in the Samajwadi Party government at the time.
Owaisi alleged that successive governments in Uttar Pradesh had failed to resolve issues concerning the Muslim community, particularly in education and socio-economic development.
With the state heading towards elections, he said political leaders would approach voters and appeal to them to support established parties to prevent the BJP from returning to power.
The AIMIM chief also criticised the BJP government over its actions involving madrassas and highlighted the role of Muslim clerics and religious scholars in India's freedom movement.
He further criticised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his remarks concerning freedom fighter and former Congress president Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar.
Owaisi also spoke about the history of madrassas in Kanpur and claimed that Muslim ulemas had issued a fatwa against British rule during the freedom struggle. (with inputs from PTI)
