Asaduddin Owaisi, president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has been elected thrice to the Lok Sabha from the Hyderabad constituency. While the party is contesting elections only from Mr. Owaisi’s home State of Telangana this time, the Muslim leader spoke on several national issues, and said the current elections would be a test for the ruling BJP in the run-up to the 2019 general elections. Edited excerpts:
The current polls in five States is being perceived as a mini-general election. Your comments...
Definitely, this will be a test for the BJP. If they lose these States, they cannot repeat the same performance of 2014 in parliamentary elections, for which the campaign will start in the next two months. This will definitely be a kind of a trendsetter.
Besides Telangana, have you fielded candidates in any other States?
No. There were a lot of people who came to me from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and wanted the party to contest. I said, we have not yet established our body over there. We have not done meetings or membership. I am of the opinion that it is not advisable and it will not be politically helpful also.
There is talk about a friendly contest between the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the AIMIM...
No election contest will be friendly. You contest to win and you want the other [side] to lose. So it is easy to say it is friendly. On the ground, it is different. The party’s prestige, the candidate’s own popularity and work is at stake. I totally disagree with this so-called ‘friendly contest’. I respect my opponent, but I want them to be defeated.
Are you friendly with the TRS?
Yes, we want KCR [K. Chandrasekhar Rao] to become CM again.
But from wherever MIM is contesting, whether our opponent is BJP, TRS or Congress, they are opponents.
How are you supporting the TRS when there is a perception that they are inclined towards the BJP?
This country requires more regional parties, more regional voices, more political voices from deprived sections. This country’s diversity cannot be reflected if only two parties lead this country. Rahul Gandhi, in a public meeting, said the Congress is with Hinduism. Had I said that, it would have been in national news. I would have been slaughtered for two days by 9 p.m. nationalists. Rahul Gandhi can say that and get away with it. They [Congress] are trying to tell people of India that in terms of Hindutva, they are better than Mr. Modi [Prime Minister Narendra Modi]. Then what choice is left? That is why I say regional parties will play an important role in 2019.
Are you going to support Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s efforts to form an anti-BJP alliance?
You see, I was opposing Mr. Naidu in 1998. Had he withdrawn his support then [in 2002], the Gujarat riots would have stopped immediately. In 2014, he again supported Modi. Then a series of mob lynchings happened. Then the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill was brought. Mr. Naidu was still with BJP. Mr Naidu is speaking the language of Bush [former U.S. President George Bush]: either you are with me or opposing.
Why wasn’t the nation saved when Gujarat riots happened? Why wasn’t the nation saved when the mob lynchings and ghar wapsi were happening.
And now because you [Naidu] have come out of BJP [alliance], you give an order to me to fall in line. Those days have gone.
You said that BJP wants a Muslim-mukt Bharat...
That is true. The RSS chief in 2015 said Muslims are stolen property. Are we chori ka samaan? There is a litany of continuous statements wherein you want to give a message that Muslims are not equal citizens, not equal partners, but tenants and second class citizens. What is this business of changing names? Where is the end to it? Did they get a mandate to change names? Despite the matter being in Supreme Court, the RSS chief says, an ordinance must be brought [for building Ram temple]. What is the message you are sending? Can an ordinance be brought for a community? No. It will be a blatant violation of the right to equality. They have decided that they will implement their agenda which is against our [India’s] great secular ethos. They are creating a kind of fear psychosis and uncertainty.
Your party is more active now on social media...
Whether you like it or not, in the history of our political party, we have not got positive coverage. It is only for negative things we have got coverage. Now thankfully, for parties like us, we have this new medium to put forward our views wherein there is no constraint of words or space. This is a medium wherein you can really put forward your views. We are making an effort. Let’s see what happens.
When it comes to women, this is the first time that a series of women-only meetings were held. What has brought about this change in attitude?
No, it is not a change in attitude. How can you ignore 50% of population? Though we have been addressing their issues, this time we said we will have women-only public meetings and the traditional public meetings wherein you talk and everybody goes back will not be used. This time we said, no, you [women] tell us: what is it that you want? We want to hear from you. That is why I have promised that I would create a more streamlined and systematic women’s cell. Now, these women have really enlightened me.
What is your poll strategy?
We don’t believe in these manifestos and we have never issued one. I feel that these are always used to [make promises] and are not lived up to. The best thing that a representative can do is to be accessible to the electorate. Once you’re accessible you solve the problems and represent people in a more clear way. Being accessible is very important.