Owaisi lambasts WB govt over cancellation of Kolkata rally; questions TMC's 'hypocrisy'

AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday lashed out at TMC after he was denied permission to hold a rally in Kolkata ahead of the West Bengal Assembly polls. He alleged that TMC MPs who speak about freedom of expression, Constitution and dissent in Parliament had a different standard in WB. Mentioning that even the Model Code of Conduct has not come into force yet, he contended that elections cannot be free and fair if AIMIM is not allowed to campaign.

Moreover, he questioned the Mamata Banerjee-led government as to why his party had been singled out at a juncture when other parties including Congress, BJP and CPI(M) were permitted to hold rallies in the state. While the Kolkata Police has refused to comment on the matter, TMC denied having played a role in the cancellation of the rally. At the same time, TMC MP Saugata Roy claimed that AIMIM is a proxy of BJP. 

Extending support to Owaisi's party, influential Furfura Sharif cleric Abbas Siddiqui said, "Asad Sahab came to Bengal. He came to our darbar sharif. We have told him that we are standing with him. I believe in the 2021 Assembly election votes should not be divided and thus wherever Asad Sahab's party will contest we should not field candidates. It is important to support him. The talks are going on across the table." 

Read: Owaisi Fans Communal Flames In Gujarat; Accuses RSS & Congress Before Civic Polls Round 2

AIMIM's gradual nationwide expansion

With 1 MP and 7 MLAs in Telangana, AIMIM is considered a formidable force in Hyderabad. In recent years, however, the party has spread its wings to different parts of the country including Maharashtra and Bihar. For instance, AIMIM bagged one Lok Sabha seat and two Assembly seats in Maharashtra in 2019. Moreover, the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party's candidates won from the Sahebganj, Chhatarpur, Narpatganj, Pranpur, Barari, and Raniganj constituency in the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls. Refuting the accusation that AIMIM was responsible for Mahagatbandhan's defeat, Owaisi pointed out that NDA's victory margin on the aforesaid seats was more than the votes secured by his party.

In the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation election, AIMIM had the best strike rate among all other parties by winning 44 out of the 51 wards in which it fielded candidates. Recently, the party decided to contest the local bodies' election in Gujarat in an alliance with Chhotubhai Vasava-led Bharatiya Tribal Party. Moreover, the Owaisi-led party is likely to field candidates on 25-30 seats in the upcoming TN Assembly polls. On the other hand, it will go into the 2022 UP polls as a part of the 'Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha' led by Om Prakash Rajbhar, the chief of Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party. 

Read: Owaisi Frowns Upon Pangong Tso Disengagement Plan; Accuses PM Modi Of Giving Up Leverage