Asaduddin Owaisi has extended an offer to opposition parties to team up, in order to prevent the BJP walk back into power in Uttar Pradesh’s 2027 assembly elections. But the AIMIM chief didn’t stop at making nice. In the same breath, he turned on the Samajwadi Party — UP’s main opposition — and its leader, bringing up the Muzaffarnagar riots as a reminder of what happened on their watch.
Owaisi made the pitch at a rally in Kanpur, part of his ongoing campaign push in the state. And true to form, he didn’t leave the offer open-ended — he attached a deadline to it.
He said his party will wait till October 2, presumably for a response from the opposition parties, before announcing any potential political alliance. At the Bhabu Purwa Idgah ground in Cantonment area, Owaisi, who held a public rally, said AIMIM was ready to form an alliance with parties willing to prevent BJP coming to reprise in UP.
We also do not want BJP to form the government in Uttar Pradesh for the third time. If you want to stop the BJP from forming the government again, then come and join hands with AIMIM,” Owaisi said.
Hitting at the Samajwadi Party, he said, “How many riots took place (in Uttar Pradesh) when your Akhilesh Bhaiya came to power?” Then, referring to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, he said around 50,000 people were displaced from their homes and villages at the time.
He further went on to accuse the same opposition parties of failing to address wider issues related to the Muslim communities- in addition to them of adequate political representation.
Claiming to be their voice, he urged Muslim voters to strengthen the party’ political presence in the state.
Ahead of the assembly polls in Bihar, the AIMIM had made a similar proposal in the statez where he offered to contest for six seats under the alliance, which was later rejected in lieu of false allegations against the party.
Owaisi and his party have long faced a familiar charge from opposition ranks — that AIMIM is nothing but the BJP’s B-team. It’s an accusation that only gets louder in states where the Muslim vote actually moves the needle, think Bengal, think Uttar Pradesh.
Owaisi, for his part, has never taken that lying down. He dismisses the allegations outright, turning the argument back on his critics — accusing opposition parties of fielding candidates that minorities simply won’t accept.
Taking a jibe at the opposition he also questioned why they couldnt win over majority voters all by themselves.