By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: Buoyed with the Maharashtra assembly election win, the Majlis E Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) has declared to contest forthcoming Delhi and Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
AIMIM party chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who was in Aurangabad to attend a ‘Thanks Giving’ gathering, made the announced that MIM is eyeing assembly polls due in the national capital and Uttar Pradesh.
Owaisi in Aurangabad for Thanks Giving ceremony.
Owaisi thanked all those, who supported and contributed in the winning of two assembly seats in Maharashtra. Party MLAs Imtiyaz Jaleel and Waris Pathan too were present during the ceremony at Aam Khas grounds on Saturday evening. In fact, Owaisi termed defeat of two other party candidates viz. Abdul Mateen Qadri and Gangadhar Gade as “in a way victory over BJP” as the two debut candidates lost with a very negligible margin.
Targeting Congress MLA Parineeti Shinde, who is the daughter of former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Owaisi slammed her allegation that his party is ‘anti-national’ and questioned Congress’ dubious role when it relied on MIM support at the Centre in the past.
“Sushil Kumar Shinde was the Home Minister. He should show what anti-national activities we do. You never termed us anti-national, while taking our support in saving your government at the Centre as well at the state. And now just because, she had to struggle to win the elections, she is terming us anti-national. You and your party are nobody to certify anybody’s patriotism.”
He also criticized the NCP-INC for blaming MIM for their defeat in Maharashtra and challenged the Congress to prove its credibility in Jharkhand where MIM will not be contesting. “We are going to contest for the Delhi assembly elections and also in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
In his hour long speech, the MIM leader also objected to Shiv Sena MLA Diwakar Raote’s offering of a green skull cap to BJP’s Revenue, Minority Affairs and Wakf Minister Eknath Khadse after the latter proposed to introduce Urdu as an optional subject to students studying in Marathi medium schools in the state.
Referring to the Jawkheda dalit family killing – Owaisi visited the village before he went to Aurangabad and met the victims’ family – he demanded a CBI probe in the matter. Three members of a dalit family were brutally killed a day ahead of Diwali but the police are yet to solve the case.
People during MIM thanks giving ceremony in Aam Khas Ground in Aurangabad.
He also assured the gathering that his MLAs would raise all prominent issues of Muslims and Dalits in the assembly and would seek answers from state government.
Imtiaz Jalil, party’s MLA from Aurangabad, also addressed the gathering. “It’s the victory of all people who worked for the party. Our victory here was celebrated not only in Aurangabad but also in other countries by our sympathizers,” he said.
He criticized city police’s act of asking signed affidavits when his party figures came to the city for a programme and said, “Now I would request the police to do the same thing with Raj Thakarey, Uddhav Thankarey and Narendra Modi when they come to the city to address any gathering.”
[Photos courtesy: aurangabadtimes]