UP elections: Owaisi blames SP & BSP for Modi 2.0; hits back at "vote spoiler" allegation

As a high-pitched election campaign begins in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi launched a scathing attack on his opponents on Wednesday, crediting their 'foolishness' for the return of the BJP government.

Owaisi made the remarks while addressing a public rally in Uttar Pradesh during his ongoing tour aimed at consolidating his electoral position months ahead of the crucial elections.

"Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of the country twice because of the ''nasamjhi'' (foolishness) of Akhilesh (Yadav) and Mayawati," said Owaisi while addressing a rally in Odara village of Sultanpur district.

The AIMIM leader's attack came after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati dubbed him as the "vote spoiler" for their parties. The two leaders had alleged that by fighting the UP elections, AIMIM would spoil the votes of the BJP's rivals.

Responding to the allegations, Hyderabad MP asked, "when all the Muslims voted for Akhilesh Yadav's party, how come a BJP candidate won from here in the last assembly polls? Similarly, how did BJP win the Sultanpur Lok Sabha seat in 2019 when no AIMIM candidate had contested from here?" he asked

Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party president, Owaisi asked, "Are Muslims your slaves?" The SP had claimed that AIMIM was jumping into the UP poll fray to eat into their votes and help the saffron party. 

"The BJP did not win the two consecutive general elections in 2014 and 2019 with the Muslims votes as they got only 6% of their votes in the two polls," reasoned Owaisi. 

Owaisi marks AIMIM's victory in Lok Sabha polls

The Hyderabad MP said his party has been contesting elections across the country to safeguard the interest of Muslims. He pointed out AIMIMS's victory in three Lok Sabha seats of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, Aurangabad in Maharashtra, and Kishanganj in Bihar in the 2019 election.

"We defeated BJP in Hyderabad, despite Modi and Amit Shah making several trips to drum up support for the saffron party," the four-time Parliamentarian said.

Seeking to establish rapport with Muslim voters, the AIMIM chief said he wants the minority community to have a strong voice in the state assemblies and Parliament to champion their cause. 

Taking a dig at UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he said, "The Centre had provided ₹116 crores for the welfare of minorities in UP but he has spent only ₹10 crores out of it. I had raised the issue in Parliament while Akhilesh maintained silence over the issue," he said.

Owaisi, who has announced that the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen would contest 100 seats in the 2022 assembly elections, launched his poll campaign from Ayodhya on September 7.

(With inputs from agency)