Updated: October 15, 2020 10:33:59 pm
AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi spoke with Manoj C G.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi talks about ‘mess’ in the BJP-JD (U) and RJD-Congress alliances, why is it time ripe for a new front as it promises, and the issues that AIMIM will raise in its campaign. Follow the live updates of the Bihar elections 2020
AIMIM had initially linked with Samajwadi Janata Dal (Democrat) of Devendra Prasad Yadav. Now AIMIM, Samajwadi Janata Dal (Democrat), Upendra Kushwaha RLSP and BSP have announced an alliance. What is the idea behind your training?
The people of Bihar need a viable alternative political platform. Furthermore, the RJD-Congress alliance has failed and has lost the confidence of the Bihar people to dislodge or politically defeat JD (U) and BJP (alliance). Another important point is that Nitish Kumar’s 15 years and RJD’s 15 years have not helped in the real development of Bihar. I have data that clearly shows that in all parameters (social, economic, health, educational) Governors led by Nitish Kumart has failed. That is why we have all come together and cast Mr. Kushwaha as the main ministerial face and Devendra Yadav as the coordinator.
Why do you think the RJD-Congress alliance has failed?
They have failed in the trust factor. Five years ago Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rahul Gandhi came together and said that if the people vote for us, we will defeat the BJP-RSS. Now, that hasn’t happened because (JD (U) president and Bihar’s chief minister Nitish) Kumar is with the BJP. And the responsibility falls equally on Congress and RJD because they misled the people of Bihar … In the latest Lok Sabha polls, they (Congress) could not win a single seat other than Kishanganj, where our candidate approached 3 lakh votes, 3.32 lakh votes were pocketed by the JD (U), and the winning candidate, who was from Congress, won 3.6 lakh votes. If our candidate hadn’t been there, it would have been a clean sweep for the NDA. That is why I am of the opinion that they (Congress and RJD combined) are incapable of confronting the BJP politically. They lack a true political and intellectual conviction.
The BSP is a fringe player in Bihar. In the last Assembly election (in 2015), AIMIM was contested in six seats, but failed to win any. However, later, he won the Kishanganj Assembly seat in a bypoll (in 2019). The Kushwaha RLSP won only two seats in the Assembly elections and did not win any seats in the Lok Sabha elections… Yadav’s party also faced a similar fate. So what makes you think that the front can be a credible and viable alternative?
There is a political vacuum in Bihar that demands an alternative political platform. The people of Bihar … no longer have confidence in the RJD-Congress alliance. They are also tired of the bad government of Nitish Kumar. Yes, we are all small players, but it all starts with a small step and then gets bigger. And finally, what happened in Maharashtra should be a revelation for all. What happened after the elections … no one would have guessed, although I disagree with Congress giving Shiv Sena a secular certificate and forming an alliance … Remember the NDA is in disarray … the LJP is independently contesting despite sharing power in Delhi. The Congress-RJD is also in complete disarray… So the poor in Bihar need an alternative political platform and we hope to fill that gap.
You said the NDA is in disarray. There is a perception that there is some kind of match-fixing between the BJP and the LJP. What is your opinion?
But you’ll still call it clutter, right? Despite sharing power in Delhi, they still cannot unite for Bihar. And if what you say is correct … that is also the sense on the ground … it says a lot about its cohesion. This does not inspire confidence in people.
People can view your alliance as a front that will end up splitting anti-incumbent votes, which will help the BJP and JD (U).
Am I a hostage to other political parties? I will compete because I believe in parliamentary democracy. And I want to strengthen democracy. I want to generate more confidence in the youth of the Indian democracy. And why have these parties assumed this power to decide who should compete and who should not? It is shameful of them that they are not able to defeat the BJP and because of them… their alliance was broken and Nitish is in the BJP. They ally themselves with Shiv Sena, and then they have the nerve to ask me this question … The more they talk about this, the more my resolve strengthens.
This is a democracy. I will dispute. Whether I win or lose is a different thing. Our party has been working to build an organization for the last five years and we were there when people needed us during and after the closure, and when the floods occurred. The RJD-Congress CM hopeful sat comfortably in Delhi for two and a half months as nearly 28 lakhs of migrant workers returned to Bihar from across the country. And the Chief Minister had also isolated himself at home for months together.
His party targets Muslim votes. The RSLP focuses on the Kushwaha votes. The BSP looks at Dalit votes….
Would you ask the BJP this question to get them to take upper caste vows? Would you ask the RJD and Congress about Yadav’s votes?… Aliens don’t vote for them, do they? And caste is a reality in India. What happened in Hathras is a stark and bitter reality. So this is the wrong question to ask yourself….
The RJD is often asked about their MY (Muslim-Yadav) vote base and the BJP about their upper caste votes …
These are all false assumptions from the media and everyone else. Is a voter hostage to a political party? That is not the sense I have. At present, in India 2020 … how can you tell about voting banks? … You work hard, you convince them (the voters) and they vote for you.
Among your alliance partners, there are some contradictions on national issues. For example, the head of the BSP, Mayawati, had credited the Supreme Court with paving the way for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. His position on the subject is well known. How will you address these contradictions?
There will be differences, but what is the meeting point? One meeting point is to provide a viable alternative political voice. They have their position on certain issues and will continue to hold it. So does Congress. Kamal Nath had sent bricks (for the construction of the Ram temple), Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted in favor of him (the temple) …, the RJD did not speak (on the subject). So these are there. Everyone has their political position, but the common factor that has brought us together is to provide a viable alternative political platform.
So will there be a common manifesto, program and agenda?
Mr. Kushwaha and Mr. Yadav will present a vision paper very soon and will also talk about the important things that need to be done and what this alliance will do.
How many seats will each party contest?
Mr. Kushwaha will release the full list of seats, but hopefully, we will compete in 18-19 Assembly seats across the state. We have given our list of seats.
Will the campaign focus on national issues or will it be limited to specific Bihar issues?
It can be any problem as long as it doesn’t violate the model code of conduct. You have the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh talking about the construction of Ram Mandir…. He is a Chief Minister and nobody talks about it. If I had said that in some election speech … all these 9 pm nationalists would be insisting on me for a whole day.
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