Owaisi on comparisons with Jinnah: 'Unlike him, I want India's diversity to be celebrated'

Amid Congress blaming AIMIM for its electoral failure in Bihar, party chief, and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has ripped apart the charges of being the "B-team" of BJP and "vote cutter." He has also clarified that all those who believe in the diversity of the country should celebrate the victory of AIMIM in Bihar assembly elections. On Wednesday, responding to senior journalist  Kanchan Gupta Owaisi highlighted the point that people want an alternative to "BJP-INC's stale talk of secularism/ nationalism"

On AIMIM's victory, Gupta had complimented Owaisi and opined that Muslim voters who view politics and elections in communitarian terms are beginning to realise the folly of investing their votes in 'fake secular parties'. He then advised Owaisi to not follow the path of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and present himself as 'sole spokesman of Muslims in India' and should continue to follow the Constitution of the country. 

To this, Owaisi responded by saying that India is too diverse for one person to be the sole spokesman of a group. He slammed the "stale talk of secularism/nationalism" by BJP-INC and claimed that people want an alternative. Clarifying that his views are in stark contrast to Jinnah's, Owaisi said that he wants India's diversity to be celebrated. In the Bihar Elections 2020, AIMIM won in 5 constituencies - Amour, Kochadhaman, Baisi, Bahadurgunj, Jokihat - out of 20 contested.

READ | Bihar results: Owaisi thanks Seemanchal as AIMIM eyes 5 seats; tightlipped on RJD alliance

READ | Owaisi rips apart 'vote-cutter' charge, says 'NDA would've won regardless of AIMIM'

AIMIM in Bihar and other states

According to statistics provided by the Election Commission of India, AIMIM got 1.24 percent of over 4 crore votes polled. AIMIM made an entry in Bihar after its candidate won the Kishanganj bypolls in 2019. AIMIM gave a close fight to Congress' Izrahul Hussain in the minority-dominated seat of Kishanganj.  In another Muslim-dominated Amour seat, AIMIM's state chief Akhtarul Iman trumped over sitting 6-time Congress MLA Abdul Jalil Mastan and BJP's Saba Zafar. The party unsuccessfully contested in Bihar Assembly polls in 2015 and secured less than 0.5 per cent votes. MIM also unsuccessfully contested in UP Assembly polls in 2017. Besides Telangana and Bihar, MIM has two MLAs and one MP in Maharashtra. 

READ | Emboldened By Gains In Bihar Poll, Owaisi Says 'AIMIM Plans To Contest In UP, West Bengal'

NDA wins Bihar; RJD single-largest party

The Bihar assembly elections results were declared around midnight on November 10-November 11, with the ruling coalition - NDA winning 125 in the 243-member assembly, against Mahagathbandhan's 110.  Even as the contest remained neck and neck throughout the day, RJD under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav, became the single largest party with 75 seats, followed by BJP's 74. While Chirag Paswan's LJP won one seat, it made a major dent in JDU's tally that has come down to 43 from 71 in 2015. The biggest clincher is Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM winning 5 seats and CPI-ML  winning 12 seats. The other two left parties - CPI and CPI-M won two each. The other two alliance partners of NDA - HAM and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) won four seats each.

READ | Bihar Elections: Congress Leader Demands State Party Chief's Resignation After Poor Show