Leaders of so-called secular parties consider Muslims as mere vote bank: Owaisi

With pics
Done/ALVI
Faiz.Siddiqui@timesgroup.com
Kanpur: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) national president Asaduddin Owaisi targeted all political parties for using Muslims as a vote bank and said the condition of Muslims has become like a ‘band baja party’ in a marriage procession where they (Muslims) are first asked to play music, but are made to stand outside on reaching the wedding venue.
Addressing a public meeting in Jajmau’s Tel Mill Compound area on Sunday, Owaisi said, “Now Muslims will not play the instrument of secularism. The truth of the politics of the country is that those who have power — the MLAs, the MPs — are listened to.”
Those killed in the CAA and NRC protests are martyrs and this general meeting today is dedicated to those martyrs, he added.
“May all those who killed those people perish,” said Owaisi further.
Appealing to the people, he said only the candidate of the Majlis should win in the assembly elections.
Accusing all the governments of discrimination,
“In the eyes of all other political parties, Muslims are merely a vote bank. These parties have not done justice to Muslims. Only those who have power are heard,” he said while accusing the Central and state governments of discrimination.
Owaisi also attacked SP president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said they refrain from speaking on the issues of Muslims.
“While opposing the CAA, we tore the copy of the black law in the House. Rahul, Maya, and Akhilesh did not speak on the arrest of Maulana Kaleem because they are afraid that they will not get the vote of one section,” he said and added, “When the verdict came in the Babri criminal case, we alone spoke in the House.”
He said Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari were put in jail by the BJP-led state government. “It’s not only them, but 27% of Muslims are in jails,” he said.
Owaisi also alleged that there is a conspiracy of closing the tanneries in Kanpur due to which Dalits and Muslims became jobless.
“All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is with every poor and weak of the country,” he added.
Countering attacks of rivals, Owaisi said, “BJP government was not formed anywhere when AIMIM contested elections. We fought elections in Bengal, Maharashtra and Jharkhand but BJP government was not formed there. If BJP wins, then how can we be responsible for it.”
Further taking the names of castes and leaders, Owaisi said, “Even every caste has a leader, but Muslims have no leader. There is 19% Muslim population in UP but there is not a single leader. The constitution gives us the right to become a leader.”
Describing himself as the leader of Muslims, he said, “Not just one, but 100 Owaisis are needed in the state. And this will not be done by merely raising sentimental slogans but by being Mutahid (coming together).”