Hyderabad: The Telangana Congress on Tuesday found new ammunition to target the MIM, backing the allegations levelled by Gujarat BJP former MLA Yatin Oza that BJP national president Amit Shah and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had “struck a deal” before the Bihar Assembly polls to polarise votes in Muslim-dominated northern belt. Mr Owaisi rubbished the charge and warned of legal action in a tweet against Mr Oza saying “Your mouthpiece (AAP) will get notice by my lawyer. I think I must also send you a notice to substantiate.”
The BJP Bihar unit also denied the allegation. However, Leader of Opposition in the TS Legislative Council Mohd Ali Shabbir on Tuesday said that MIM’s secret alliance with BJP was no more a secret. “Congress had exposed this fact long back. MIM has been acting as the ‘Muslim Morcha’ of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar since the last general elections. In the guise of party’s expansion, MIM fielded its candidates in selective seats to divide non-BJP votes,” he alleged.
Mr Shabbir Ali also accused the MIM of adopting similar tactics in Maharashtra. He asked Amit Shah and MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi to clarify on the meeting which they had before Bihar elections. “MIM contested Bihar elections only to benefit the BJP. If Owaisi was serious, then MIM should have contested all the seats in Bihar. From 24 seats in Muslim-dominated Seemanchal, it contested only on six seats out of 243 constituencies in Bihar,” he said.
“Owaisi brothers were successful in Maharashtra, failed in Bihar and now adopting a similar approach in Uttar Pradesh elections. In Telangana too, both BJP and MIM are supplementing each other,” he said. Mr Shabbir Ali also accused Mr Owaisi of trying to politicise issues like ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and even the arrests made by NIA. He urged Muslims to introspect their stand towards the MIM.
