AIMIM leader's ‘Abdul’ question for Mahagathbandhan after CM face announced: ‘Those with 18%…’

Owaisi has often accused the Congress and other opposition parties of being half-hearted, even unfair, in its efforts to counter the BJP on alleged communalism

A top leader of Asaduddin Owaisi's party AIMIM has questioned the alleged lack of representation to Muslims by the opposition Mahagathbandhan of INDIA bloc parties RJD and Congress in Bihar.

AIMIM UP chief Shaukat Ali during the Bihar election campaign. (X/@kayam_husain)

In his post on X, AIMIM's Uttar Pradesh unit chief Shaukat Ali used an AI-generated image of RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and VIP's Mukesh Sahani, with a reference to the population percentages of communities. He said Muslims form 18% of Bihar's population but are reduced to laying carpets while others sit on sofas. The AI image showed a Muslim man on his knees on the floor and the two others sharing a laugh over a cup of tea.

In the caption in Hindi, he referred apparently to Mukesh Sahani's community Nishad's 2% share in the state's population. Sahani is the deputy CM face of the Mahagathbandhan. Ali further mentioned that the CM face was someone whose community is 13% of the state's population — Tejashwi being a Yadav. Those with 18%, he said, are “carpet-laying minister” — a reference to Muslims.

“When we say something, they'll say, ‘Abdul, stay quiet, or the BJP will come’,” he wrote, accusing the INDIA bloc or Mahagathbandhan of using the ruling party as a spectre. The name ‘Abdul’ is often used for political potshots by the Hindutva right wing.

The AIMIM is contesting about 30 of Bihar's 243 seats on its own after its efforts to join the RJD-Congress alliance did not bear fruit.

Owaisi has often accused the Congress and other opposition parties of being half-hearted, even unfair, in its efforts to counter the BJP on its alleged communalism.

The jibes by Shaukal Ali came just hours after the opposition Mahagathbandhan declared Tejashwi Yadav as the chief ministerial face for the upcoming assembly election, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani as a deputy CM face, with others likely to be added on that list.