NEW DELHI: AIMIM president
Asaduddin Owaisi, who recently hit the campaign trail in
Karnataka, made waves when he addressed a JD(S) rally wearing a saffron turban.
Known for being outspoken against right-wing Hindutva groups, the habitually Islamic skullcap-wearing hardliner turned many heads when he emerged in an artfully tied saffron turban at a public gathering in
Belgaum. But his barbed remarks aimed at the
Congress and the BJP came as no surprise.
While the main players Congress and BJP are locked in a pitched battle in the poll-bound state, Owaisi chose not to field candidates and backed the Deve Gowda-led JD(S). He said he favoured a non-Congress and non-BJP government coming to power in Karnataka and that’s why he was supporting JD(S).
To this end, the Hyderabad MP has been campaigning for JD(S) and delivering fiery speeches against the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka and its prime challenger the BJP.
Referring to Congress president
Rahul Gandhi calling JD(S) the "B-team" of the BJP and the ensuing war of words between the two national parties, Owaisi said: "How long will you play 'A-team, B-team' for? Congress doesn't have what it takes to beat
Narendra Modi. Now is the time for regional parties to take centre-stage and send Mr Modi back to Gujarat."
Owaisi has associated himself with Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao's plan of bringing together various regional parties as an alternative to the BJP and Congress at the Centre.
Earlier, Owaisi had challenged Rahul for an open debate for ‘five minutes’ on whether the Congress has upheld the Constitution. "Get Prime Minister Narendra Modi also along with you for the debate," he said at a public meeting in Bengaluru.
At another rally in Belagavi, Owaisi had alleged that Congress has opened the shop of secularism while BJP has opened a shop of nationalism.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi