Hyderabad: UP election is around the corner and this election shall be keenly watched by the nation. The state is currently ruled by the BJP. Some major political parties who are likely to challenge the current Yogi Government of BJP in the state are Akhlesh Yadavs Samajwadi Party, Mayawati’s Bahujan Party, and the Congress. All India Muslim Majlis Ittehadul Musleemin (AIMIM) decided not to be left behind as its supremo the Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has announced to contest the assembly election in UP on 150 seats.
The AIMIM’s plans to contest the election in a big way give currency to an impression that the Muslim party’s entry in the UP election is going to benefit BJP. This impression has been further strengthened when the UPs CM Yogi Adityanath accepted “Owaisi’s challenge” to fight the election and lavishly praised Owaisi as a great Muslim leader.
There is an old clip of the late Mufti Ejaz Ahmad Qasmi, a member of the AIMPLB, on YouTube where Qasmi is claiming that AIMIM has a secret understanding with the BJP. The party’s entry shall directly benefit the BJP in UP by splitting the Muslim votes, Qasmi is heard claiming in the video.
Mufti Qasmi, who was in the news few years ago when he lost his cool and hit a female panelist during a TV debate and who passed away on April 17, 2021, also heard in the clip telling the AIMIM members that there is a BJP hand whenever the AIMIM decides to contest election outside its stronghold in Hyderabad to help it by polarizing the Muslim votes.
The 2008 was the worst year for Muslims, Qasmi heard saying in the video, as hundreds of innocent Muslim youths were arrested and put behind bars and Owaisi has not opposed such arbitrary arrests even though his party AIMIM was a coalition partner of the ruling UPA at that time.”
Mufti Qasmi also claims to have heard that a number of BJP leaders said that Owaisi is their man and whenever he attacks RSS or BJP such attack translates into at least a lakh votes in favor of BJP.
However, there are some people who believe that currently there is no leader who talks about the Muslim interests in UP. Qurban Ali, the former BBC journalist who hails from that state, says, There is no leader or party today in UP which takes up Muslims issues and in such a scenario it is but natural for AIMIM to portray itself as a party who champions the Muslim causes.”