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‘We are political untouchables for them’: AIMIM leader on not receiving invitation to Opposition meet
Twenty-six Opposition parties, which won 134 seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and secured a 35 per cent vote share, announced a pre-poll coalition in Bengaluru
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) National Spokesperson Waris Pathan lashed out on Opposition parties, who met in Bengaluru to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 national elections, for not inviting AIMIM saying that they were “political untouchables” for the 26 like-minded parties.
He said, “They did not call us, we are political untouchables for them.”
Twenty-six Opposition parties, which won 134 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and secured a 35 per cent vote share, announced a pre-poll coalition at a Bengaluru meet on Tuesday, marking the first time in a generation that disparate political outfits have come together on the national stage to take on the incumbent government.
Upon not receiving an invitation, Pathan said, “You want the votes of the Muslim community but you don't want to represent them politically and then you speak of secularism.”
Pathan said that leaders — Nitish Kumar, Uddhav Thackeray and Mehbooba Mufti — who were once with the BJP were also present at the meeting. “They have suddenly become secular now.”
Taking a jibe at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Pathan said that he once abused Congress during the Gujarat Assembly elections and even he was invited to Bengaluru meet.
The Opposition parties On Tuesday announced that their grouping will be called INDIA, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which rallied 38 parties together in a separate meeting in New Delhi.
Speaking on not receiving an invitation despite having the same motives as the Opposition parties, Pathan said, “They are saying that the Constitution and democracy have to saved, and BJP has to be defeated. We want the same things too. Even we [AIMIM] are putting efforts to defeat BJP in 2024 so that Narendra Modi does not become the Prime Minister once again.”
Further, stating that AIMIM was with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Pathan accused the Opposition parties of ignoring AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
Read Here: Never-before-seen scenes at Oppn meet as unlikely allies join hands
“They (Opposition parties) are ignoring Asaduddin Owaisi, who speaks of saving the Constitution and is standing against the UCC [Uniform Civil Code].”
Pathan said that the AIMIM will put in all the efforts and make sure that BJP loses.
AIMIM likely to form third front
AIMIM said on Tuesday that it will form a third front in Bihar ahead of the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha Election. Bihar party president Akhtarul Iman said on Tuesday that political parties used Muslims as a vote bank but paid no heed to their development.
He added that talks between like-minded parties were being held to create a third front before the Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking at an event in Bihar, he said, “We have been forced to form a third front in Bihar as the grand alliance only wants the votes of Muslims, but they are not to be given their rights. They have been used only as a vote bank so far. But people now understand their gameplan.”
Further he stated that the Opposition alliance and AIMIM were both anti-BJP and yet the party was not invited to the Bengaluru meet. He said that this showed how the Opposition wanted to tap into Muslim vote bank but not be a part of their struggle.
“We will show our strength to both the NDA and the grand alliance.”
