Asaduddin Owaisi blames Opposition for not stopping BJP from winning polls

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday said the BJP has been consistently winning elections across the country as it has consolidated the Hindu votes and that the Opposition is a failure (nakaam).

Owaisi made the remarks when asked whether his party was the 'B-team' of the BJP, a charge repeatedly raised by opposition parties. He said that attempts to blame him were nothing but the Opposition's 'hatred' for his party, which largely represents Muslims.

"The BJP is coming to power because the opposition is 'nakaam'. It is winning elections because it has consolidated almost 50 per cent of the Hindu votes," he told news agency PTI on Saturday.

"How can you put the blame on me, tell me? If I contest in Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Kishanganj and a few other seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the BJP gets 240 seats, am I responsible?" he added.

Opposition parties like the Congress have lashed out at Owaisi's attempts to grow his AIMIM outside its Hyderabad stronghold, alleging that he ends up benefitting the BJP by taking away a chunk of votes, mostly Muslims.

However, the five-time Hyderabad MP hit back, accusing opposition parties of taking the Muslim votes for granted and paying little heed to their real



concerns.

"When every segment of society has a semblance of political leadership and that's acceptable to you, but you don't want Muslims to have a semblance of political voice, political leadership," he said.

Asked if his remarks were aimed at the Congress, Owaisi said he was referring to all parties, including the BJP, Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP).

"Yadav will be a leader, Musalmaan will be a beggar. Upper caste will be a leader, Musalmaan will be a beggar. How is that fair, tell me?" the AIMIM chief asked.

Owaisi's remarks came at a time when he has earned accolades for his strong statements on Pakistan following the deadly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. At the same time, he has drawn backlash from some people for his recent remarks.

Notably, Owaisi is also a part of the seven all-party delegations that will visit partner countries to brief their governments on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and India's Operation Sindoor.

During the PTI interview, Owaisi also underlined that Muslims have only 4 per cent participation in the legislatures and Parliament, despite the community being the largest minority group in the country with nearly 15 per cent of the population.