Hyderabad-based All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen is contesting UP elections for the first time. Its president Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi was earlier denied permission to hold rallies in UP but after the commencement of elections, Owaisi is touring the state extensively and has fielded candidates in three dozen seats. Following is an excerpt from the interview with Faisal Fareed for Twocircles.net.
What prompted AIMIM to venture in UP politics? How many seats are you contesting and what are your aims?
We are contesting against those who have betrayed in the garb of secularism and development. UP is an important state of the country and we want to provide good and clean representatives to people. We want that people’s representatives should also raise issues of education, health, security in the assembly. We are contesting only on 36 seats which have been decided by the state unit of AIMIM.
There are charges on you by Samajwadi Party leaders that you are an agent of BJP.
They level such allegations. But I have letters to show that two brothers of Mulayam Singh—Shivpal Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav—have accused each other of being agents of BJP. Even Mulayam has said that Ramgopal hobnobbed with BJP to save his son and daughter in law. Everybody knows which family fell over each other in taking a selfie with PM Narendra Modi. And still, they call me an agent of BJP. In fact, they are a “wholesale” agent of BJP.
It is reported that you will divide Muslim votes due to which BJP will win. What are your thoughts?
In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, AIMIM was not in UP, yet the BJP won. It is a mere theory that these parties are spreading. I am just telling people to ask these people about their report card. They invite BJP people at their home and share good bonhomie and accuse me of dividing Muslim votes. I am exposing their dubious nature.
Why are you so against SP and Congress?
Since SP is in power it has to answer the questions. Where are its poll promises of Muslim reservation, school, and education for Muslims? They gave Muzaffarnagar riots. If you again vote for someone who has given you 200 riots, he will again give you more riots. And what about Congress, they have to change their slogan of “27 saal UP Behal”. But why is Congress silent on the atrocities upon Muslims during its regime? It is not that people have forgotten Hashimpura and Maliana. Both are just traders of Muslim voters.
You only speak about Muslims. Why is it so?
I speak only as per Indian constitution. I even carry a copy of our constitution. It has given us equality, justice, and brotherhood. When I talk about it why those who have fleeced Muslims in the name of secularism and highlighting the apprehension of BJP are worried. I just raise issues which have been guaranteed by the constitution to everyone.
Who according to you is the biggest enemy of AIMIM and the people of UP?
I consider both Narendra Modi and Akhilesh Yadav as two faces of the same coin. Even Mulayam is saying that Akhilesh is anti-Muslim. My enemies are all those who are opportunists and communal people. There is not much difference between SP and BJP.