Mumbai: The AIMIM is willing to ally with NCP and Congress, which are part of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, party MP Imtiaz Jaleel said. Asaduddin Owaisi-led party is not the ‘B’ team of BJP as alleged by mainstream parties, he added.
He spoke of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s willingness of tying up when state minister and NCP leader Rajesh Tope paid a visit to his residence on Friday.
On Friday night, speaking with reporters, Jaleel, who heads the Maharashtra unit of AIMIM, said that it is alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party wins because of AIMIM. He said, “Tope visited me on Friday, days after lost my mother due to an illness. It is always alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party wins because of us (AIMIM- due to splitting of Muslim votes). To prove this allegation wrong I proposed to Tope that we are ready for an alliance. However, he didn’t say anything about my offer.”
He further added that now we want to see whether these are just allegations against AIMIM or they (Congress and NCP) are willing to join us.
He alleged that BJP has done maximum damage, and to defeat them they are willing to do everything possible. He said, “The fact is that these parties want votes of Muslims. Why only NCP? The Congress also says they are secular and they also want votes of Muslims. We are ready to join hands with them too. The BJP has done the maximum damage to this country. We are ready to do everything to defeat them”.
Speaking of SP and BSP he said, “AIMIM had also spoken (about a tie-up) with the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh (polls), but they wanted votes of Muslims and not Asaduddin Owaisi, who heads the party.”
“In Maharashtra also, these parties (Congress and NCP) want votes of Muslims but not the AIMIM. You blame us for BJP’s victory. I propose that then let us contest the elections together,” he said.
On being questioned about the proposal for an alliance is limited for the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, Jaleel said that the future action depends upon the response AIMIM gets from NCP and Congress.
“Otherwise we can go alone. We are giving them a chance (to ally) as they call us the ‘B’ team (of BJP),” he said.
AIMIM had won two seats in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
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