News Analysis India

Tag: AIMIM

  • AAP, AIMIM split minority votes of Congress in Gujarat, BJP gains 

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM seem to have dented the Congress’s sway over votes of minorities in Gujarat in the just concluded Assembly polls, bringing down the main Opposition party’s vote margin considerably in various seats across the state.

    Assembly polls were held on December 1 and 5, and votes were counted on December 8.

    The minorities, primarily Muslims, have been loyal voters of the Congress for the last several decades, especially after the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

    According to Congress sources, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on most occasions post the 2002 riots, has made electoral calculations keeping in mind the consolidation of Hindu votes irrespective of castes.

    This prompted the main Opposition party to secure its minority votes, one of the last components of the Congress’s old strategy of KHAM (Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi and Muslim) social engineering, which once used to be its winning formula in the state, they said.

    However, the entry of the AAP and the Hyderabad-headquartered All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has not only disturbed Congress’s minority vote bank but has also helped the ruling BJP, which did not field a single Muslim candidate in the elections, at the cost of the Congress.

    In the 2022 Assembly polls, traditional political parties fielded very few Muslim candidates in Gujarat, which has a 182-member Assembly.

    The Congress had fielded six Muslim candidates, while the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP gave tickets to three members of the minority community.

    The AIMIM contested 13 Assembly seats and fielded Muslim nominees on 12 of them. The AIMIM might have failed to win a single seat and the AAP might have won just five, but they derailed the Congress’s prospects and vote share in numerous seats by splitting their traditional votes.

    In the minority-dominated Dariapur seat, considered a Congress bastion, sitting Congress MLA Gyasuddin Shaikh lost to BJP’s Kaushik Jain by a margin of 5,243 votes. Shaikh polled 55,847 votes, whereas his nearest BJP rival bagged 61,090 ballots. The winning difference was made by AAP and AIMIM candidates, who polled 4,164 and 1,771 votes, respectively.

    In Jamalpur-Khadia, the Congress’s Imran Khedawala got a third consecutive term, but with a reduced mandate of 58,487 votes, down from 75,000 in 2017. AIMIM’s state president Sabir Kabliwala bagged 15,677 votes and the AAP 5,887 in the constituency in Ahmedabad district.

    In the Bapunagar seat, sitting Congress MLA Himmatsinh Patel lost to BJP’s Dineshsinh Kushwaha by a margin of 12,070 votes. AAP and Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Muslim candidates made the difference in margin between the Congress and the BJP. The AAP and the SP polled 6,384 and 3,671 votes, respectively.

    In the Mangrol seat, two-time sitting Congress MLA Babubhai Vaja lost to BJP’s Kargatiya Lakhabhai by 22,501 votes.

    The AAP and the AIMIM polled 34,314 and 10,789 votes, respectively, thus contributing in the defeat of the grand old party in the Assembly segment in Junagadh district.

    The Congress won the Muslim and Dalit-dominated Danilimda Assembly segment in Ahmedabad, despite the AAP and the AIMIM cutting into its votes and the BJP putting up a strong fight.

    Sitting Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar won by defeating his nearest rival, BJP’s Nareshbhai Vyas, by a margin of 13,525 votes.

    Parmar polled 68,906 votes as compared to 55,381 ballots cast in favour of Vyas.

    AAP candidate Soma Kapadia polled 22,934 votes, while AIMIM’s Kaushika Parmar garnered 2,464.

    Although Parmar won, his victory margin was much lower than in 2012 and 2017.

    In the Godhra seat, Bharatiya Janata Party’s C K Raulji defeated his Congress rival Rashmitaben Chauhan by 35,198 votes. Raulji bagged 96,223 votes, while Chauhan got 61,025. In 2017, the BJP’s victory margin was just 358 votes.

    Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajeshbhai Patel secured 11,827 votes, while the AIMIM’s Hasan Kachaba garnered 9,508 ballots, eating into Congress traditional votes in the communally-sensitive Assembly seat of Godhra, where the burning of an express train had triggered state-wide communal riots 20 years back.

    BJP MLA Sangita Patil registered a third straight win in Surat’s Marathi and Muslim-dominated Limbayat constituency. She defeated her nearest rival, Aam Aadmi Party’s Pankaj Tayede, by a margin of 58,009 votes. The AAP elbowed out the Congress, the traditional main Opposition in this seat, to a distant third position. Patil polled 95,696 votes as compared to 37,687 votes in favour of Tayede. Congress candidate Gopalbhai Patil finished third with 29,436, whereas the AIMIM was a distant fourth with 5,216 votes.

    The Vejalpur seat in Ahmedabad district, which includes the large Muslim ghetto of Juhapura, has a 35 per cent vote share of the minority community. 

    According to political analysts, the voting pattern in Muslim-dominated seats shows minorities have shifted loyalties as the Congress has failed to emerge as an alternative to the BJP.

    “The Congress’s silent campaign was a complete flop show as it failed to put up an alternative, and just like any common voters, a large section of minorities appeared to have switched to the AAP. The Congress lacked the momentum in the entire election,” political analyst Hemant Shah said.

    Echoing him, political analyst Dilip Gohil maintained the poll results reflect voters yearning for an alternative have found the AAP as a replacement of the Congress.

    “Be it minorities or the commoner, they were looking for an alternative, and they have found it in the AAP. The problem for the Congress is they might have secured the distant second position, but they have lost the perception battle to the AAP. And this would prove politically fatal for the Congress as they would find it hard to revive themselves,” he said.

    AHMEDABAD: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM seem to have dented the Congress’s sway over votes of minorities in Gujarat in the just concluded Assembly polls, bringing down the main Opposition party’s vote margin considerably in various seats across the state.

    Assembly polls were held on December 1 and 5, and votes were counted on December 8.

    The minorities, primarily Muslims, have been loyal voters of the Congress for the last several decades, especially after the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

    According to Congress sources, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on most occasions post the 2002 riots, has made electoral calculations keeping in mind the consolidation of Hindu votes irrespective of castes.

    This prompted the main Opposition party to secure its minority votes, one of the last components of the Congress’s old strategy of KHAM (Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi and Muslim) social engineering, which once used to be its winning formula in the state, they said.

    However, the entry of the AAP and the Hyderabad-headquartered All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has not only disturbed Congress’s minority vote bank but has also helped the ruling BJP, which did not field a single Muslim candidate in the elections, at the cost of the Congress.

    In the 2022 Assembly polls, traditional political parties fielded very few Muslim candidates in Gujarat, which has a 182-member Assembly.

    The Congress had fielded six Muslim candidates, while the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP gave tickets to three members of the minority community.

    The AIMIM contested 13 Assembly seats and fielded Muslim nominees on 12 of them. The AIMIM might have failed to win a single seat and the AAP might have won just five, but they derailed the Congress’s prospects and vote share in numerous seats by splitting their traditional votes.

    In the minority-dominated Dariapur seat, considered a Congress bastion, sitting Congress MLA Gyasuddin Shaikh lost to BJP’s Kaushik Jain by a margin of 5,243 votes. Shaikh polled 55,847 votes, whereas his nearest BJP rival bagged 61,090 ballots. The winning difference was made by AAP and AIMIM candidates, who polled 4,164 and 1,771 votes, respectively.

    In Jamalpur-Khadia, the Congress’s Imran Khedawala got a third consecutive term, but with a reduced mandate of 58,487 votes, down from 75,000 in 2017. AIMIM’s state president Sabir Kabliwala bagged 15,677 votes and the AAP 5,887 in the constituency in Ahmedabad district.

    In the Bapunagar seat, sitting Congress MLA Himmatsinh Patel lost to BJP’s Dineshsinh Kushwaha by a margin of 12,070 votes. AAP and Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Muslim candidates made the difference in margin between the Congress and the BJP. The AAP and the SP polled 6,384 and 3,671 votes, respectively.

    In the Mangrol seat, two-time sitting Congress MLA Babubhai Vaja lost to BJP’s Kargatiya Lakhabhai by 22,501 votes.

    The AAP and the AIMIM polled 34,314 and 10,789 votes, respectively, thus contributing in the defeat of the grand old party in the Assembly segment in Junagadh district.

    The Congress won the Muslim and Dalit-dominated Danilimda Assembly segment in Ahmedabad, despite the AAP and the AIMIM cutting into its votes and the BJP putting up a strong fight.

    Sitting Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar won by defeating his nearest rival, BJP’s Nareshbhai Vyas, by a margin of 13,525 votes.

    Parmar polled 68,906 votes as compared to 55,381 ballots cast in favour of Vyas.

    AAP candidate Soma Kapadia polled 22,934 votes, while AIMIM’s Kaushika Parmar garnered 2,464.

    Although Parmar won, his victory margin was much lower than in 2012 and 2017.

    In the Godhra seat, Bharatiya Janata Party’s C K Raulji defeated his Congress rival Rashmitaben Chauhan by 35,198 votes. Raulji bagged 96,223 votes, while Chauhan got 61,025. In 2017, the BJP’s victory margin was just 358 votes.

    Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajeshbhai Patel secured 11,827 votes, while the AIMIM’s Hasan Kachaba garnered 9,508 ballots, eating into Congress traditional votes in the communally-sensitive Assembly seat of Godhra, where the burning of an express train had triggered state-wide communal riots 20 years back.

    BJP MLA Sangita Patil registered a third straight win in Surat’s Marathi and Muslim-dominated Limbayat constituency. She defeated her nearest rival, Aam Aadmi Party’s Pankaj Tayede, by a margin of 58,009 votes. The AAP elbowed out the Congress, the traditional main Opposition in this seat, to a distant third position. Patil polled 95,696 votes as compared to 37,687 votes in favour of Tayede. Congress candidate Gopalbhai Patil finished third with 29,436, whereas the AIMIM was a distant fourth with 5,216 votes.

    The Vejalpur seat in Ahmedabad district, which includes the large Muslim ghetto of Juhapura, has a 35 per cent vote share of the minority community. 

    According to political analysts, the voting pattern in Muslim-dominated seats shows minorities have shifted loyalties as the Congress has failed to emerge as an alternative to the BJP.

    “The Congress’s silent campaign was a complete flop show as it failed to put up an alternative, and just like any common voters, a large section of minorities appeared to have switched to the AAP. The Congress lacked the momentum in the entire election,” political analyst Hemant Shah said.

    Echoing him, political analyst Dilip Gohil maintained the poll results reflect voters yearning for an alternative have found the AAP as a replacement of the Congress.

    “Be it minorities or the commoner, they were looking for an alternative, and they have found it in the AAP. The problem for the Congress is they might have secured the distant second position, but they have lost the perception battle to the AAP. And this would prove politically fatal for the Congress as they would find it hard to revive themselves,” he said.

  • Attack on Owaisi in UP: Supreme Court quashes HC order granting bail to two accused

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday quashed an Allahabad High Court order granting bail to two men accused of firing at AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi’s vehicle in Uttar Pradesh in February and gave them one week to surrender.

    The top court said the seriousness of the alleged offence has not been considered by the high court.

    A bench of justices M R Shah and M M Sundresh said the high court did not accord any reason while giving bail.

    The apex court remanded the matter back to the high court for fresh consideration and directed Sachin Sharma and Shubham Gurjar to surrender before the police within a week.

    The top court also directed the high court to decide the bail applications of the two accused within four weeks from the date of surrender.

    “Having gone through the impugned judgement of the high court, it can be seen that there are no reasons given at all by the high court while releasing the accused on bail.

    “It has also not given any prima facie opinion on material collected during the course of the investigation which is now forming the part of charge sheet. Even the seriousness the offence alleged has not been considered by the high court. In that view of the matter, the impugned judgement of the high court needs to be quashed and set aside,” the bench said.

    In his petition before the apex court, Owaisi challenged the bail granted to them, saying this was a classic example of a disproportionate amount of prejudice and hate-related crimes leading to the incident of an attempt to murder and the target was a known MP.

    The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief’s car was attacked in Hapur while he was returning to Delhi after attending election-related events in western Uttar Pradesh on February 3, a week before assembly polls began in the state.

    Later, the police arrested three persons — Sharma, Gurjar, and Aalim — for their alleged involvement in the incident.

    The top court in September dismissed the challenge to the bail granted to Aalim.

    In his plea, Owaisi submitted that after accused Sachin came out on bail, he again threatened the petitioner with serious consequences.

    The said statement made in public is grave and requires to be taken into cognisance.

    More importantly, the accused has not denied his involvement rather it appears that he is taking pride in undertaking this crime, the plea said, adding that Owaisi was the victim of the incident of this attempt of murder by the accused whose action was recorded in CCTV footage which was now part of the charge sheet.

    After the arrest of the accused, the police said two pistols were seized from their possession and a Maruti Alto car was also impounded.

    The FIR was lodged at Pilakhua Police Station under various provisions of the IPC, including Section 307 (attempt to murder).

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday quashed an Allahabad High Court order granting bail to two men accused of firing at AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi’s vehicle in Uttar Pradesh in February and gave them one week to surrender.

    The top court said the seriousness of the alleged offence has not been considered by the high court.

    A bench of justices M R Shah and M M Sundresh said the high court did not accord any reason while giving bail.

    The apex court remanded the matter back to the high court for fresh consideration and directed Sachin Sharma and Shubham Gurjar to surrender before the police within a week.

    The top court also directed the high court to decide the bail applications of the two accused within four weeks from the date of surrender.

    “Having gone through the impugned judgement of the high court, it can be seen that there are no reasons given at all by the high court while releasing the accused on bail.

    “It has also not given any prima facie opinion on material collected during the course of the investigation which is now forming the part of charge sheet. Even the seriousness the offence alleged has not been considered by the high court. In that view of the matter, the impugned judgement of the high court needs to be quashed and set aside,” the bench said.

    In his petition before the apex court, Owaisi challenged the bail granted to them, saying this was a classic example of a disproportionate amount of prejudice and hate-related crimes leading to the incident of an attempt to murder and the target was a known MP.

    The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief’s car was attacked in Hapur while he was returning to Delhi after attending election-related events in western Uttar Pradesh on February 3, a week before assembly polls began in the state.

    Later, the police arrested three persons — Sharma, Gurjar, and Aalim — for their alleged involvement in the incident.

    The top court in September dismissed the challenge to the bail granted to Aalim.

    In his plea, Owaisi submitted that after accused Sachin came out on bail, he again threatened the petitioner with serious consequences.

    The said statement made in public is grave and requires to be taken into cognisance.

    More importantly, the accused has not denied his involvement rather it appears that he is taking pride in undertaking this crime, the plea said, adding that Owaisi was the victim of the incident of this attempt of murder by the accused whose action was recorded in CCTV footage which was now part of the charge sheet.

    After the arrest of the accused, the police said two pistols were seized from their possession and a Maruti Alto car was also impounded.

    The FIR was lodged at Pilakhua Police Station under various provisions of the IPC, including Section 307 (attempt to murder).

  • Owaisi’s Party leader offers biryani to new entrants to boost membership in Madhya Pradesh

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: A leader of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has been offering biryani and breakfast to new entrants in the outfit in Narela Assembly constituency of Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal as part of a drive to increase the party’s base in the region.

    The party led by Asaduddin Owaisi had for the first time contested the recently held urban bodies’ polls in the state and secured seven seats of corporators.

    “We are welcoming people who did not get due respect in their parties, whether it was the BJP or Congress. When they come to our office to join the outfit, as a mark of respect, we offer them biryani or breakfast such as samosas and tea, like we do to guests in our homes,” AIMIM leader Peerzada Tauqeer Nizami told PTI.

    Nizami said new entrants are garlanded and offered food in keeping with their respective religious practices, he said.

    “They should feel that they have come to the right place. I listen to their problems and make efforts to sort them out,” he said.

    More than 20,000 people have joined the party so far during the ongoing drive, the AIMIM leader claimed, adding that the move will be replicated by the party in other Assembly segments of Bhopal after Diwali.

    “We had organised a public meeting of party president Owaisi in Narela during the recently held urban bodies’ elections,” Nizami said, adding that he was told to work for the party in Bhopal.

    BHOPAL: A leader of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has been offering biryani and breakfast to new entrants in the outfit in Narela Assembly constituency of Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal as part of a drive to increase the party’s base in the region.

    The party led by Asaduddin Owaisi had for the first time contested the recently held urban bodies’ polls in the state and secured seven seats of corporators.

    “We are welcoming people who did not get due respect in their parties, whether it was the BJP or Congress. When they come to our office to join the outfit, as a mark of respect, we offer them biryani or breakfast such as samosas and tea, like we do to guests in our homes,” AIMIM leader Peerzada Tauqeer Nizami told PTI.

    Nizami said new entrants are garlanded and offered food in keeping with their respective religious practices, he said.

    “They should feel that they have come to the right place. I listen to their problems and make efforts to sort them out,” he said.

    More than 20,000 people have joined the party so far during the ongoing drive, the AIMIM leader claimed, adding that the move will be replicated by the party in other Assembly segments of Bhopal after Diwali.

    “We had organised a public meeting of party president Owaisi in Narela during the recently held urban bodies’ elections,” Nizami said, adding that he was told to work for the party in Bhopal.

  • UP: Muslim-centric parties to muster support against madrasa survey

    By IANS

    LUCKNOW: Muslim-centric parties in Uttar Pradesh will now launch a campaign and mobilise people to oppose a survey of madrasas.

    The parties that are a part of this initiative include the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Peace Party and Rashtriya Ulama Council.

    AIMIM state unit president Shaukat Ali is already holding meetings in various districts to mobilise people from the Muslim community over the issue and gear up the party cadre.

    He said that the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has termed the survey of madrasas as a “mini- NRC” and alleged that the UP government was “harassing” the Muslim community in the name of a survey.

    Peace Party chief Mohammad Ayub said party leaders and workers have launched an awareness campaign in the east UP districts to enlighten the community over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s order on the madrasa survey.

    It is a plan to “polarise” the Hindu and Muslim communities on the issue, he observed.

    “The Uttar Pradesh government knows people from the weaker section of the Muslim community are not in a financial position to admit their wards to regular schools. With the help of donations, madrasa management give free education, food and lodging facilities to students. Free education for every child is the Constitutional responsibility of the government. Instead of fulfilling its responsibilities, the government is trying to close madrasas,” he said.

    The national president of Rashtriya Ulama Council (RUC), Maulana Aamir Rashadi Madani, said there was an uneasiness in the Muslim community over the survey of madrasas across the state.

    “Muslim bodies and organisations running madrasa should join hands to oppose the state government order. It is a conspiracy against the Muslim community, and we will have to prepare a work plan to challenge the government plan to close madrasas,” he said.

    LUCKNOW: Muslim-centric parties in Uttar Pradesh will now launch a campaign and mobilise people to oppose a survey of madrasas.

    The parties that are a part of this initiative include the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Peace Party and Rashtriya Ulama Council.

    AIMIM state unit president Shaukat Ali is already holding meetings in various districts to mobilise people from the Muslim community over the issue and gear up the party cadre.

    He said that the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has termed the survey of madrasas as a “mini- NRC” and alleged that the UP government was “harassing” the Muslim community in the name of a survey.

    Peace Party chief Mohammad Ayub said party leaders and workers have launched an awareness campaign in the east UP districts to enlighten the community over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s order on the madrasa survey.

    It is a plan to “polarise” the Hindu and Muslim communities on the issue, he observed.

    “The Uttar Pradesh government knows people from the weaker section of the Muslim community are not in a financial position to admit their wards to regular schools. With the help of donations, madrasa management give free education, food and lodging facilities to students. Free education for every child is the Constitutional responsibility of the government. Instead of fulfilling its responsibilities, the government is trying to close madrasas,” he said.

    The national president of Rashtriya Ulama Council (RUC), Maulana Aamir Rashadi Madani, said there was an uneasiness in the Muslim community over the survey of madrasas across the state.

    “Muslim bodies and organisations running madrasa should join hands to oppose the state government order. It is a conspiracy against the Muslim community, and we will have to prepare a work plan to challenge the government plan to close madrasas,” he said.

  • INS Vikrant fine but what about China?: Owaisi asks PM Modi

    By Express News Service

    HYDERABAD: While congratulating the Indian Navy for the launch of INS Vikrant, AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi questioned why the Centre has not done enough to secure the Indian maritime borders against the might of China.

    “INS Vikrant was launched, we also have to think that we need a 3rd carrier aircraft but he (PM Modi) is not giving permission. That is because he has destroyed the economy of country & has no money. We need 200 ships, but only have 130,” he tweeted on Friday.

    “I also hope this INS Vikrant will give PM Modi the courage to speak up about China which has occupied 10 villages of our territory. Hope the INS will give him enough strength to take China’s name in Parliament,” he added.

    Observing that Owaisi saw only bitterness and not happiness, BJP’s spokesperson NV Subhash commented by saying that instead of applauding the country on this special moment, Owaisi took his usual stance of negativity. 

    “He is not a security analyst. He should drop his political posturing once and should rejoice in the country’s success,” Subhash opined. “Owaisi is issuing false statements such as Chinese occupying 10 regions and Modi government not reacting to such acts. It was the Modi government that stopped the Chinese encroachment at Doklam pass in 2017, and had also banned 273 Chinese apps in the country in 2020 when no other country dared to take a stand against it,” Subhash said.

    HYDERABAD: While congratulating the Indian Navy for the launch of INS Vikrant, AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi questioned why the Centre has not done enough to secure the Indian maritime borders against the might of China.

    “INS Vikrant was launched, we also have to think that we need a 3rd carrier aircraft but he (PM Modi) is not giving permission. That is because he has destroyed the economy of country & has no money. We need 200 ships, but only have 130,” he tweeted on Friday.

    “I also hope this INS Vikrant will give PM Modi the courage to speak up about China which has occupied 10 villages of our territory. Hope the INS will give him enough strength to take China’s name in Parliament,” he added.

    Observing that Owaisi saw only bitterness and not happiness, BJP’s spokesperson NV Subhash commented by saying that instead of applauding the country on this special moment, Owaisi took his usual stance of negativity. 

    “He is not a security analyst. He should drop his political posturing once and should rejoice in the country’s success,” Subhash opined. “Owaisi is issuing false statements such as Chinese occupying 10 regions and Modi government not reacting to such acts. It was the Modi government that stopped the Chinese encroachment at Doklam pass in 2017, and had also banned 273 Chinese apps in the country in 2020 when no other country dared to take a stand against it,” Subhash said.

  • Congress intimidated by AIMIM, AAP? Party urges Muslims in Gujarat not to get ‘swayed’

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Congress leaders in Gujarat on Wednesday urged the members of the Muslim community to support the party in the upcoming state polls in order to defeat the “devious” agenda of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    They also urged the minority community not to get carried away by the propaganda of the new entrants in the fray – All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which they termed as the BJP’s “B and C teams”, saying that doing so would divide its votes and ultimately help the ruling party.

    They were speaking at a function to felicitate Kadir Pirzada, the newly-appointed working president of the party’s Gujarat unit, and other leaders.

    Assembly elections in the BJP-ruled Gujarat are due by the end of this year.

    Speaking on the occasion, state Congress president Jagdish Thakor urged Muslim leaders, including Pirzada, to frame a time-bound programme targeting 60 Assembly seats with a sizable Muslim population.

    He also called for an election manifesto for the minority communities.

    “All of us know who are behind the communal riots happening in the country, and how they benefit from it. We know and still fall prey to it. We should stay cautious about not falling into the trap,” he said.

    Thakor said the Congress has always stayed with the minorities and never changed its ideology, irrespective of whether it occupies power or not.

    “A Congress prime minister used to say with confidence that minorities have the first right on the country’s treasury. Congress knows how much saying so has hurt the party, but it will still not compromise on its ideology,” Thakor said, addressing the function organised by the party’s state minority department.

    Remembering late Congress leader Ahmed Patel on the occasion, party veteran Arjun Modhwadia said that as the head of the family, Patel kept the party leaders united.

    “But when he is not with us, it is our responsibility to remain united,” he said.

    He also cautioned the Muslim voters to stay united and not to get swayed by the two parties that have entered the fray “to divide votes”.

    “The two parties have come once again, and we are all concerned. It is because we are ourselves not confident of our unity. But we should defeat these A and B teams,” he said.

    “We have to ensure that our complaints with each other are resolved and in 2022 (election), the A team does not return to power with the help of B and C teams,” he said.

    Jignesh Mevani, who has also been appointed as a working president of the Gujarat Congress, remembered arrested social activist Teesta Setalvad and her struggle “for justice to the Muslims of Gujarat.”

    He said he always stood with the minorities and struggled for them.

    Mevani said the 2002 Assembly election is crucial for the future of the country and will have implications on the country’s Constitution.

    During his address, Pirzada demanded representation for the community and claimed that Congress formed the government with the help of the Muslim votes.

    “If a community with 3-4 per cent population demands its representation, then why should we, being 1 crore in the population of 6.5 crore, not demand our representation?” he asked.

    “The community is at times at a loss as to who it should talk to. On the one hand, we have no government, while on the other there is no representation. You ran after Hardik (Patel, the former Congress leader who joined BJP), and forgot that these (Muslims) are the people who formed the Congress government,” he said.

    The party leaders urged the Muslim community to step out in large numbers to cast their votes during the Assembly polls.

    Meanwhile, AAP head Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting and a press conference on Thursday in Surat city of Gujarat where the Assembly polls are due this year.

    The Delhi chief minister arrived here late Wednesday night and said that in the next few weeks, his party would share with the people of Gujarat its agenda on what it plans to do for them if voted to power in the state.

    This is his second visit to the state so far this month.

    “I visited Gujarat several times in the recent past, and people of the state have given a lot of love. The people of Gujarat are fed up with 27 years of the BJP rule and want a change,” Kejriwal said after landing at the Surat airport.

    “We have talked to the public about what they want and in the next few weeks, we will put before them our agenda, as to what our agenda will be when voted to power,” he said.

    Before Kejriwal arrived in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Gujarat unit chief C R Paatil warned people that they should not get misguided by the “revadi culture” of freebies as it could eventually turn the state and India into Sri Lanka, which is currently going through a severe economic crisis.

    Though Paatil did not name anyone, he was apparently targeting the AAP and its national convener Kejriwal, who has promised free electricity if voted to power in Gujarat.

    Kejriwal last visited Gujarat on July 3, when he held a town hall on the issue of free electricity in Ahmedabad.

    During the interaction with people, he then said free electricity was possible in Gujarat and that he would soon visit the state with a formula on how his party can provide it if voted to power.

    Presenting the “Delhi model,” he had said free electricity is possible in Gujarat if corruption is eliminated.

    The AAP has made free electricity a major poll plank in Gujarat, where polls are due in December.

    The party has positioned itself as a major contender in the state, where elections have traditionally seen a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress.

    AHMEDABAD: Congress leaders in Gujarat on Wednesday urged the members of the Muslim community to support the party in the upcoming state polls in order to defeat the “devious” agenda of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    They also urged the minority community not to get carried away by the propaganda of the new entrants in the fray – All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which they termed as the BJP’s “B and C teams”, saying that doing so would divide its votes and ultimately help the ruling party.

    They were speaking at a function to felicitate Kadir Pirzada, the newly-appointed working president of the party’s Gujarat unit, and other leaders.

    Assembly elections in the BJP-ruled Gujarat are due by the end of this year.

    Speaking on the occasion, state Congress president Jagdish Thakor urged Muslim leaders, including Pirzada, to frame a time-bound programme targeting 60 Assembly seats with a sizable Muslim population.

    He also called for an election manifesto for the minority communities.

    “All of us know who are behind the communal riots happening in the country, and how they benefit from it. We know and still fall prey to it. We should stay cautious about not falling into the trap,” he said.

    Thakor said the Congress has always stayed with the minorities and never changed its ideology, irrespective of whether it occupies power or not.

    “A Congress prime minister used to say with confidence that minorities have the first right on the country’s treasury. Congress knows how much saying so has hurt the party, but it will still not compromise on its ideology,” Thakor said, addressing the function organised by the party’s state minority department.

    Remembering late Congress leader Ahmed Patel on the occasion, party veteran Arjun Modhwadia said that as the head of the family, Patel kept the party leaders united.

    “But when he is not with us, it is our responsibility to remain united,” he said.

    He also cautioned the Muslim voters to stay united and not to get swayed by the two parties that have entered the fray “to divide votes”.

    “The two parties have come once again, and we are all concerned. It is because we are ourselves not confident of our unity. But we should defeat these A and B teams,” he said.

    “We have to ensure that our complaints with each other are resolved and in 2022 (election), the A team does not return to power with the help of B and C teams,” he said.

    Jignesh Mevani, who has also been appointed as a working president of the Gujarat Congress, remembered arrested social activist Teesta Setalvad and her struggle “for justice to the Muslims of Gujarat.”

    He said he always stood with the minorities and struggled for them.

    Mevani said the 2002 Assembly election is crucial for the future of the country and will have implications on the country’s Constitution.

    During his address, Pirzada demanded representation for the community and claimed that Congress formed the government with the help of the Muslim votes.

    “If a community with 3-4 per cent population demands its representation, then why should we, being 1 crore in the population of 6.5 crore, not demand our representation?” he asked.

    “The community is at times at a loss as to who it should talk to. On the one hand, we have no government, while on the other there is no representation. You ran after Hardik (Patel, the former Congress leader who joined BJP), and forgot that these (Muslims) are the people who formed the Congress government,” he said.

    The party leaders urged the Muslim community to step out in large numbers to cast their votes during the Assembly polls.

    Meanwhile, AAP head Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting and a press conference on Thursday in Surat city of Gujarat where the Assembly polls are due this year.

    The Delhi chief minister arrived here late Wednesday night and said that in the next few weeks, his party would share with the people of Gujarat its agenda on what it plans to do for them if voted to power in the state.

    This is his second visit to the state so far this month.

    “I visited Gujarat several times in the recent past, and people of the state have given a lot of love. The people of Gujarat are fed up with 27 years of the BJP rule and want a change,” Kejriwal said after landing at the Surat airport.

    “We have talked to the public about what they want and in the next few weeks, we will put before them our agenda, as to what our agenda will be when voted to power,” he said.

    Before Kejriwal arrived in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Gujarat unit chief C R Paatil warned people that they should not get misguided by the “revadi culture” of freebies as it could eventually turn the state and India into Sri Lanka, which is currently going through a severe economic crisis.

    Though Paatil did not name anyone, he was apparently targeting the AAP and its national convener Kejriwal, who has promised free electricity if voted to power in Gujarat.

    Kejriwal last visited Gujarat on July 3, when he held a town hall on the issue of free electricity in Ahmedabad.

    During the interaction with people, he then said free electricity was possible in Gujarat and that he would soon visit the state with a formula on how his party can provide it if voted to power.

    Presenting the “Delhi model,” he had said free electricity is possible in Gujarat if corruption is eliminated.

    The AAP has made free electricity a major poll plank in Gujarat, where polls are due in December.

    The party has positioned itself as a major contender in the state, where elections have traditionally seen a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress.

  • ‘What about 16 crore jobs promised in 2014?’ Owaisi asks Centre on recruitment drive

    By PTI

    HYDERABAD: Flaying the Prime Minister’s announcement on a mass recruitment drive in the next one year, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday sought to know what happened to Narendra Modi’s 2014 assurance of creating two crore jobs per year.

    Owaisi claimed that the PM’s announcement came following his recent speech at Bhuj in Gujarat where he shared employment data provided by BJP leader and MP Varun Gandhi.

    “We would like to ask the Prime Minister. Is it not true that you had assured the country in 2014 that you will provide two crore jobs every year. So, you are supposed to provide 16 crore jobs in eight years,” he said.

    “Now, you made the announcement, because Parliamentary, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat assembly elections are approaching. You tell us what happened to 16 crore jobs. Why you did not give?” Owaisi asked while interacting with reporters.

    Modi has asked various government departments to undertake recruitment of 10 lakh people on a mission mode in the next 1.5 years.

    The Hyderabad MP also hit out at the NDA government over price rise and unemployment.

    Finding fault with the bulldozer demolition drive carried out by the Uttar Pradesh government against alleged rioters, Owaisi said, “Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has become a super Chief Justice. In his court, he will convict people and demolish houses.”

    The house of Afreen Fatima (activist), which was demolished in Prayagraj, was in the name of her mother, he claimed.

    The AIMIM leader dared the Yogi Adityanath-led government to demolish the house of Ashish Mishra Teni, who is accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri case.

    “This is example of open hate against Muslims. BJP people are giving collective punishment to Muslims,” he said.

    If there is evidence, the accused should be arrested and convicted in the courts, Owaisi said.

  • Owaisi demands Nupur Sharma’s arrest, says violence should be shunned

    By PTI

    BHUJ: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said that suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma should be arrested for her controversial remarks about Prophet Mohammad.

    While stating that nobody should indulge in violence over the issue nor should police take law in their hands, he accused the BJP of not taking timely action against Sharma after her comments during a TV debate triggered a huge controversy.

    “Nupur Sharma is not being arrested. As per the law, she should be arrested. She has not been arrested for so many days. Why don’t you arrest her and take legal action against her? Who is stopping you?” Owaisi asked, speaking to reporters here.

    The BJP’s action of suspending her for violating the party’s constitution did not resolve the issue, and one should “also think of the Indian Constitution,” the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief said.

    “Take action against her, arrest her as per the law. We demand that she be arrested and action be taken against her as per the law. Had BJP been serious, it would have told her then and there (that her statements were objectionable), but it took ten days to do so,” he said.

    Sharma’s apology over the remarks was not enough, Owaisi said. “We do not need an apology. Law should take its course,” he added.

    Asked about the violence reported from different cities during protests against Sharma’s remarks, including the incidents in Ranchi where two persons were killed in police firing, Owaisi said nobody should indulge in violence.

    “It is vital for democracy that there is no violence. It is the government’s responsibility to not allow violence and try its best to stop it. Police should also not take law in their hands. Yesterday, two people died in police firing in Ranchi. This should not happen,” said the Hyderabad MP.

    Asked about a statement by AIMIM’s Aurangabad MP Imtiaz Jaleel that Sharma should be “hanged” for her remarks, Owaisi said the party’s stand was clear that she should be arrested as per the law. “This is the party’s stand which everybody will have to follow,” he added.

    As to how many seats the party would be contesting in the Gujarat Assembly elections which are due this year, Owaisi said it was being worked out.

  • Fringe is mainstream, backed by Amit Shah, why no arrest, questions Owaisi on Prophet remark

    By PTI

    HYDERABAD: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said action against suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad should have been taken 10 days ago.

    He said he had sought action against the spokesperson while addressing a public meeting at Bhiwandi. The BJP took action as the issue was getting escalated in Gulf countries, he said.

    “You should have taken action 10 days before. When, I, as an Indian citizen, I am a Muslim, we are demanding that you take action, you don’t take action. Why the Prime Minister has not taken action. Is Asaduddin Owaisi’s demand, voice is less than that of a leader of a foreign country,” he told reporters here.

    “You are my Prime Minister. You should listen to me. You want to make leaders of foreign countries happy,” he said, asking as to who will listen to “our” pain.

    “Twenty crore Indian Muslims’ religious beliefs were insulted. Rather than addressing their concerns, Modi et al were more afraid of a foreign backlash. Very unfortunate,” he tweeted earlier.

    Owaisi claimed suspension of the spokesperson from party is not enough and that she should be arrested.

    He alleged that the spokesperson has released a video in which she claimed that senior BJP leaders have called her and told her not to lose courage.

    “FRINGE is MAINSTREAM. Backed by none less than @AmitShah. Is this why cops still haven’t arrested anyone? Suspension is a sham. Chota Savarkars were smug because of govt support. If Genocide Sansad gang was punished, BJP spokies wouldn’t have insulted Prophet PBUH on natl TV,” he tweeted.

    The BJP on Sunday suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal as the row over their alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad escalated with protests from some Muslim countries.

    Responding to a query on the alleged gangrape of a teenage girl in Hyderabad, Owaisi said it is a heinous crime and that “the law will take its own course.”

    The BJP in Telangana has earlier referred to media reports on the alleged involvement of kin of politically influential persons belonging to the AIMIM vis-à-vis the sensational case.

  • ‘Stop making provocative remarks’: priests’ body to Hindu, Muslim groups amid Gyanvapi row

    By PTI

    MATHURA: A body of temple priests has urged Hindu and Muslim groups not to give provocative statements, saying it would adversely hit the tourism sector in Mathura and Varanasi.

    “After spoiling the atmosphere in Varanasi and Mathura, not only ‘Tirath Purohits’ (priests) will suffer but traders and people engaged directly or indirectly in the tourist industry would also suffer,” Mahesh Pathak, national president of the Akhil Bharatiya Tirath Purohit Mahasabha, said while talking to reporters here.

    He said already the economy of both cities have been hit badly by the covid pandemic.

    He condemned alleged provocative statements by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

    According to the priest body head, Hindus are also not lagging behind in making such statement.

    As their statements may spoil the atmosphere, these should be stopped, he said.

    Owaisi on Monday asserted he will not let the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, where a court-mandated videography survey has been completed, meet the fate of the Babri Masjid that was demolished in December 1992.

    The Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad said he will continue to speak on the Gyanvapi masjid issue, which he termed as an attempt to weaken the Constitution, as he was not scared of either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath.

    Addressing a rally at Vadgam in Gujarat, where Assembly polls are due by the year-end, Owaisi said the accusation that the AIMIM by fielding its candidates will hurt the chances of the opposition Congress to win the elections in the BJP-ruled state was misplaced.

    The president of the Hyderabad-based All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) said people question him for speaking on the issue of Gyanvapi mosque.

    “I will speak because I have not sold my ‘jameer’ (conscience), nor will I ever do so. I speak because I am only scared of Allah and not any Modi or Yogi. I speak because the Constitution that was framed by Babasaheb Ambedkar gives me the freedom of expression,” he said.

    The AIMIM leader said he will not let the Gyanvapi mosque meet the fate of the Babri masjid in Ayodhya that was demolished nearly three decades ago.

    Owaisi said he will not be deterred by criticism directed at him for protesting against the court order directing a survey of the medieval-era mosque in Varanasi.

    “I am pained (by the survey) because the Indian Constitution is being weakened, the judgement of the Supreme Court is being ignored, and those who question me should read section 4(2) of the 1991 law (the Places of Worship Act),” he said.

    The Act prohibits filing of any suit or initiating any other legal proceeding for a conversion of the religious character of any place of worship, as existing on August 15, 1947.

    A court on Monday directed the Varanasi district administration to seal the spot in the Gyanvapi masjid complex where a Shivling was reportedly found during a court-mandated videography survey, which concluded after three days.

    The mosque is located close to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple and the Varanasi court is hearing a plea by a group of women seeking permission for daily prayers before the idols on its outer walls.

    Owaisi said “bhakts of Godse (Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi)” are spreading hatred in the country against Muslims by invoking issues like hijab, job jihad and others.

    The AIMIM leader sought people’s support for his party for the upcoming elections and said the Congress, which is out of power in the state for nearly three decades now, was not in a position to speak on behalf of Muslims of Gujarat.

    “People say Owaisi and the AIMIM (by contesting polls) will benefit the BJP. I would like to ask the Congress party as to when you last formed a government in Gujarat? Owaisi and the AIMIM were not there all these years, so why were you defeated?” he asked.

    The Lok Sabha MP questioned the Congress over defection of its MLAs to the ruling BJP and having only three Muslim legislators in its fold in a House of 182.

    “Remember, you (Muslims) cannot change the government, but using your votes, you can help our representatives win and go to the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha to become your voice,” he said.

    Owaisi is in Gujarat to make preparations for the Assembly elections.

    He has said the AIMIM intends to contest the upcoming polls and the party is in the process of figuring out the seats on which it will field its candidates.

    His visit comes at a time when several office-bearers of the Gujarat AIMIM have quit their posts accusing the state unit of working for the benefit of the BJP.