Gopalganj (Bihar): AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday kicked off the election campaign of his party for the Bihar assembly elections, questioning why the eastern state cannot have a Muslim CM despite the minority community comprising 17 per cent of the state’s population.
The Hyderabad MP lambasted the ruling NDA as well as the opposition INDIA bloc for allegedly “giving a raw deal” to the Muslim community.
Owaisi, whose party is contesting 32 assembly seats in the poll-bound state, launched his election campaign from Gopalganj, where he addressed a rally at a village 20 km away from the district headquarters.
“Why cannot a Muslim, who represents 17 per cent of the state’s population, become the chief minister? After all, they seem to have no problem with promising the deputy CM’s post to a person who represents only three per cent of the population,” he added.
The allusion was to the INDIA bloc, which has named RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate, promising the deputy CM’s post to Mukesh Sahni, a Nishad leader who heads Vikassheel Insan Party.
Owaisi said, “Parties like Congress, RJD and Samajwadi Party seek votes of Muslims, cashing in on the minority community’s fear of the BJP. These parties have not been able to stop the BJP but are still trying to get the votes of Muslims under the same pretext.”
“The time has come to call the bluff of these parties, which cannot even offer a proportionate representation to Muslims in the distribution of tickets. The Muslim community now must look towards building its own leadership,” he said.
Training his guns at the ruling BJP at the Centre, Owaisi pointed out, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi claims to take all along and strive to work for the progress of all. But his party fails to give tickets, in elections, to a single Muslim.” He also charged Union Home Minister Amit Shah with indulging in dog-whistling against the minority community.