Ambedkar-Owaisi unite: Muslims, Dalits hear ‘join hands to defeat BJP’ clarion call

The AIMIM supremo in his address made a passionate plea before the gathering to stand firmly behind Ambedkar and ensure that he is elected as a member of Parliament.

The AIMIM supremo in his address made a passionate plea before the gathering to stand firmly behind Ambedkar and ensure that he is elected as a member of Parliament. Ambedkar, according to his party sources, is eyeing the Lok Sabha seat from Solapur.

The two leaders addressed a public rally attended by 1.5 lakh people in Aurangabad for the first time after joining hands earlier this month. (HT PHOTO)

Owaisi said that not much had changed in the country for Dalits, minorities and other weaker sections who have been constantly denied their constitutional rights by successful governments who claimed to be secular and cheated them during past seventy years.

“The Congress takes the name of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, but did not elect him to the parliament. It was the Muslims from Bengal who sent him (Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar) to parliament at that time. It will be now the turn of Muslims of Maharashtra to get him (Prakash Ambedkar) elected to the parliament,” he urged the gathering. Taking a dig at NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, he said that on the pretext of saving the constitution, he was trying to save his nephew Ajit Pawar. “The so-called secular parties and self-proclaimed leaders will now allege that we are vote-cutters, but what we are actually doing is exercising our own right to vote ourselves to power,” Owaisi said.

Prakash Ambedkar criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his double standards on corruption. “ Modi says that he does not eat, but he allows others to eat and then claims his 50 per cent. The grand alliance has sent shock waves across the political establishment, “ he said.

Ambedkar further said that Gau rakshaks must be controlled by law and the Dalit community must provide protection to Muslims in incidents where they are attacked by right- wing cow protectors. “Petrol prices have been hiked to help and subsidise corporates like Reliance and it is an attempt to save them from bankruptcy,” he alleged.

MLA Imtiaz Jaleel said that alliance will prove to be a game changer in the elections and people will teach a lesson to so-called parties like Congress and NCP who cheated them for 70 years.