Nagpur: Asaduddin Owaisi, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Member of Parliament from Hyderabad, was in Nagpur on Tuesday to begin his party’s campaign for the civic polls. He speaks to The Hindu regarding his plans for the State, the Shiv Sena-BJP split, the Uttar Pradesh elections, and the alliance between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party in U.P.
What are your expectations and targets for the municipal elections in Maharashtra?
Every political party will give you politically correct answers that they are going to win. But we are contesting these elections for the first time. All our candidates are good and [are] working very hard. Hopefully, people will vote for us and we will have a good success.
You have fielded a limited number of candidates in Pune, Mumbai, and Nagpur. What do you plan to achieve with this strategy?
I cannot speak for all the three places, because I have given complete responsibility to the local units and sent our party observer. They [local units] have taken the decision and it is good, because you have to be limited and aware of the reality. This is a good thing, especially for Nagpur and hopefully, this political journey will continue and become stronger over the years. We also plan to field candidates for the next Assembly elections here.
The Shiv Sena has broken its alliance with the BJP for the municipal polls in Maharashtra, and Udhhav Thackeray is attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Every election, the Shiv Sena has been calling Modi ‘Afzal Khan’ and after elections, he becomes ‘ Dulhe Bhai’ . I don’t know what exactly they have to say. I don’t know what plans they have. But if they keep saying this only for the sake of political posturing, then definitely the people would not like it, because you have to take a stand [in politics] and I don’t think the Shiv Sena will ever take a stand against the BJP.
You have also fielded candidates in UP elections this time, but the BJP has not fielded any Muslim candidate there.
The BJP believes in Hindutva. They do not believe in pluralism and diversity of India. I am not at all surprised. This is their ‘ sabka saath, sabka vikas ’ and they have reiterated it again.
What is your take on the alliance between the Congress and Samajwadi Party in U.P.?
The Congress first organised Khat Sabhas and they ran the slogan of ‘ 27 saal, UP behal ’. And then they embarked on this opportunistic alliance. The Congress is the contractor of secularism. What does the Congress have to say about Muzaffarnagar riots? If they can have an alliance with Akhilesh Yadav, whose government was responsible for the carnage in Muzaffarnagar, tomorrow, they can even have an alliance with Modi. The Chief Minister failed in his constitutional duty to protect the lives of common citizens. This is the paradox and hypocrisy of these so called secular parties. The Amnesty International report has exposed the Akhilesh government.
People call you communal. People also call the RSS a communal organisation. Your thoughts on visiting Nagpur, where the RSS headquarters is based.
I have become used to this thing [being called communal] now and it has become a badge of honour for me. The RSS wants to destroy the basic ethos of this country and make it a theological country. We will never do that. I am for diversity and pluralism. I don’t want this country to become a theological country. That’s the difference between me and the RSS.
