Owaisi behind the scenes facilitator for BJP; starts religious polarisation in Uttar Pradesh: Sena slams AIMIM chief

In an editorial in Sena mouthpiece, the party came down heavily on the “provocative speeches” by AIMIM chief Owaisi in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh during his campaigning, where slogans of hailing Pakistan were given allegedly by his supporters

Shiv Sena on Monday attacked All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi saying that he is acting as “behind the scenes facilitator” for the successful journey of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the country. An editorial in Saamana said that religious polarisation has begun in Uttar Pradesh ahead of next year’s Assembly polls.

The Sena mouthpiece raised questions over the timing of the slogans in Uttar Pradesh, saying that there were no such incidents before the visit of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi. (ANI)

In an editorial in Sena mouthpiece, the party came down heavily on the “provocative speeches” by Owaisi in Prayagraj during his campaigning, where slogans of hailing Pakistan were given allegedly by his supporters. “With Assembly elections approaching in Uttar Pradesh, it looks like Owaisi, who has long been a facilitator for the BJP, has made all preparations to raise communal and religious tensions there... Can’t the BJP’s politics progress without using Pakistan’s name?” the editorial asked.

The Sena mouthpiece raised questions over the timing of the slogans in Uttar Pradesh, saying that there were no such incidents before his visit. “How is it that when Owaisi comes to UP ahead of the polls, his supporters begin chanting provocative ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans when there is no record of any such sloganeering before this,” it said.

Attacking Owaisi, the editorial said that he would forever be regarded as the “undergarment” of the BJP unless he had the courage to tell the Muslim community to join the country’s mainstream and abide by the Constitution. “Till the time Owaisi cannot show the courage to say that Muslim society cannot be ignored in the politics of the country, and without Muslims coming into the mainstream of the nation, they will not get their rights,

“Till the time Owaisi does not show the courage to say that Muslims are a part of this country and will have to pave their way as per the Constitution until then, he will not be regarded as a national leader. Otherwise, he will be an undergarment of a national party like BJP,” it said, adding that, “Till then Owaisi’s leadership would be seen as one of those who help their ‘suparibaaz’ parents by dividing votes.”

It added that a similar trend of the religious divide was seen in the West Bengal and Bihar elections which helped the BJP. While it failed to work in Bengal where the Muslim community voted in large numbers to Mamata Banerjee. The editorial said that had Owaisi not used the divisive strategy in the Bihar election, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav would have been the chief minister. “If Owaisi had not preached his politics of bigotry in Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav would have been holding the reins of power today,” the editorial remarked.

Reacting to the criticism, AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel from Aurangabad, Maharashtra said that his party has been accepted unlike Sena which has remain constrained in Maharashtra. Over the criticism that Owaisi is a behind the scene player for BJP, Jaleel said, “Let them say whatever they please. These remarks are made by political parties, not by the people. The people have accepted us in Bihar, in Maharashtra and we are not a party restricted to Hyderabad. Shiv Sena call themselves tigers but they are only limited to Maharashtra.”