LUCKNOW: Asaduddin Owaisi-led All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Saturday said that as a constituent of Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, it has no objection if the convenor of the front decides to enter into an alliance with the Samajwadi Party for the 2022 assembly elections in UP.
This is the first time that there has been any talk of AIMIM coming together with the SP in Uttar Pradesh.
The statement assumes significance, particularly in the light of recent attacks that AIMIM national president Asaduddin Owaisi has launched on SP leadership for its failure to get a single Muslim district panchayat chairperson elected in recently-concluded polls.
AIMIM is one of the 10 political parties which have joined hands under the banner of Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha (BSM) led by Om Prakash Rajbhar, the president of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP).
SBSP was earlier a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) but parted ways following differences with the Yogi Adityanath government.
“If Rajbhar, who is the convenor of the morcha, decides that it should enter into an alliance with the SP, our party will abide by the decision,” said AIMIM state president Shauquat Ali.
“It is good that the SP is ready to join hands with smaller parties to defeat the BJP in the assembly elections due early next year. UP has 20% Muslim population but the community is yet to receive its due in terms of representation in the government,” he said.
“Why hasn’t any party appointed a Muslim deputy CM in the state,” he asked, adding that it was time that the community was given proper representation in the government.
“AIMIM will be the voice of UP’s Muslims in the 2022 elections. We have already put in place the organisational structure and every district in the state has a party unit and a district chief,” Ali said.
He added that AIMIM’s demand of adequate representation to Muslims in the government would gather momentum with the party president’s visit to the state in August.
Though AIMIM state chief was unwilling to divulge the details of Owaisi’s schedule of UP tour, sources said the firebrand MP is slated to visit Prayagraj, Kaushambi and Fatehpur once the Monsoon session of the parliament concludes on August 2.
Keeping in mind the restrictions in place due to pandemic protocols, Owaisi is expected to hold meetings with eminent people and professionals from Muslim, Dalit and backward class communities.
This is perhaps the first time that there is any talk of AIMIM siding with the SP as the two parties have been at daggers drawn for quite some time now.
Recently, the AIMIM president had alleged that on 12 occasions, the then Akhilesh Yadav government had stopped him from visiting Uttar Pradesh between 2012 and 2017.
Recently, AIMIM had announced that it has sought applications from aspiring candidates on 100 assembly seats which have the highest Muslim population.
