Owaisi urges Congress for unity to challenge ruling government ahead of Maharashtra elections

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president criticised the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and maintained that if passed, it would lead to social instability in India

Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi has called for discussions with the Congress party to strengthen opposition efforts ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. He pointed out that the grand “old party” would have to take everyone along in order to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking at a public meeting in Vikarabad on Friday (October 11, 2024) night, Mr Owaisi criticised the Congress for its recent performance in the Haryana elections, questioning how the party lost despite AIMIM not contesting in that State. He urged the Congress to engage in discussions, emphasising that unity is essential to effectively challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Also read | Allies ask Congress to introspect after Haryana, J&K results

“If the old party [Congress] wants to defeat Modi, they will have to take everyone along with them. They cannot do it on their own,” Mr Owaisi adding that former AIMIM parliamentarian Imtiaz Jaleel had already sought a dialogue between the two parties in Maharashtra. He said that in other circumstances, the AIMIM would have wrongly be termed as BJP’s B-team in Haryana if it had contested.

“We also don’t want a Shinde-Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar government. But you need to discuss with us. Otherwise, I too have to run my party. We have two MLAs in Maharashtra — Mufti Ismail in Malegaon and Farooq Shah in Dhulia,” he added, asserting AIMIM’s significant presence in the state, including elected corporators.

In addition to discussing the need for unity, Mr. Owaisi issued a stark warning regarding the Waqf Bill, claiming it could lead to social instability across India. In a message directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that an enactment of the law would take the country back to the turbulent decades of the 1980s and 1990s.

“I am telling Prime Minister Modi that if this Waqf law becomes a reality, there will be social instability. We have already lost one masjid, Modi, and we will not lose another masjid or graveyard,” Mr. Owaisi said. He said that for instance is somebody seeks to demolish the Shivareddypet mosque in Telangana, it would be met with resistance from both the youth and the elderly and said that the would not “wear bangles and sit idle”.

Published - October 12, 2024 04:46 pm IST