As Uttar Pradesh inches closer to the state Assembly elections, slated to be held in the months of February to March 2022, the political heat seems to be rising in the state. Days after AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi declared that his party will contest 100 seats in the Uttar Pradesh upcoming polls, AIMIM leader Syed Asim Waqar has demanded that if the Samajwadi Party wins the UP elections, then its chief Akhilesh Yadav should appoint a Muslim as the deputy CM.
According to a report by One India Hindi, Asim Waqar has said in an interview that the SP supremo had in his 2012 party manifesto, promised 12 per cent reservations for Muslims in his party if they come to power, but once they did, he failed to keep his commitment.
Challenging various opposition parties before the 2022 state Assembly polls, Waqar also reportedly said that they know very well that if AIMIM becomes powerful in the state of Uttar Pradesh, they are bound to take their share in the state. “We will definitely snatch away the Deputy CM post from them. You will have to make a Muslim the deputy CM of the state”, proclaimed the AIMIM leader.
‘Deputy Chief Minister’s post across states should be solely reserved for Muslims’: Syed Asim Waqar
Furthermore, speaking on various debate shows, the AIMIM leader Asim Waqar once again reiterated his demand, but this time he went on to be a little extravagant while reverberating his demand. He has been quoted by various media houses as saying that the Deputy Chief Minister’s post across states should be solely reserved for Muslims.
Waqar asked the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress to clarify their views on this issue. The AIMIM leader opined that people come to Muslims for votes, but if Muslims ask for a Deputy CM post, they have a problem.
When probed whether AIMIM’s ally Bhagidhari Sankalp Morcha will agree to this demand, Waqar said that Om Prakash Rajbhar will certainly not disagree with his proposition.
Waqar stressed that sooner or later, the political parties will have to give the Deputy CM post to the Muslims.
Leaders of various opposition parties slam AIMIM leader for his remark
This statement by the AIMIM leader did not go down well with the oppositions parties. Congress leader Rashid Alvi condemned Waqar’s statement and lambasted the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, saying he should know that such communal statements benefit the BJP. “If you are really a well-wisher of the Muslim community, please keep yourself away from UP politics,” said Alvi.
Meanwhile, AAP spokesperson Vaibhav Maheshwari slammed Waqar while accusing his party of fooling the Muslims in the country. “Just by talking about Deputy CM, if you are trying to become the representative of the entire community, then you are fooling them,” said Maheshwari.
For the uninitiated, the AIMIM party, for the upcoming UP Assembly polls, have announced that it would contest 100 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls in 2022, after it teamed up with Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha.
“Regarding Uttar Pradesh elections we have decided to field our candidates in 100 seats. The party has started the process of selecting the candidates and has also released the candidate/aspirants application forms,” AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted earlier on Sunday (May 27). In another tweet, the AIMIM chief said: “We are with OP Rajbhar Sahab ‘Bhaagidaari Sankalp Morcha’. We did not have any talks with any other party regarding elections or tie-up”.
While speculations of AIMIM and BSP coming together were doing rounds, BSP supremo Mayawati denied it.