‘I really appreciate Modi for breaking the myth of the Muslim votebank’

Aiming at consolidating Muslim and dalit votes across the country by the next general elections in 2019, the Hyderabad-based All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen has decided to carry its slogan of “Jai Bheem and Jai Meem” to every part of the nation. MIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi tells S.A. Ishaqui that during the Maharashtra elections his party succeeded in convincing dalits and Muslims that it’s the absence of their credible representation in the Assembly and in Parliament that has led to their social, economic and political marginalisation.

Maintaining that it is the failure of the so-called secular parties that caused a sharp decline in Muslim representation in Parliament, Mr Owaisi, a barrister by training, said that dalits and Muslims will together expose the tokenism and appeasement by the so-called secularists. MIM’s performance in Maharashtra, where it won two seats, was a just a trailer, he said.

“Our growing popularity has caused panic among the ‘secular parties’ in the country. Instead of introspecting about their downslide, they were finding fault with the Majlis. Our aim is to unite the dalits and Muslims across the country to fight against injustice caused to them by the so-called secular parties and the BJP... If we succeed in consolidating the Muslim vote, instead of allowing their vote and voice to be splintered between the parties they have traditionally voted for, and if we continue to get the support that we are getting from dalits, it’ll be an added factor to change the political scenario of this country by the next general election,” he said.

Excerpts from the interview:

Why didn’t the Majlis make the effort to consolidate the Muslim vote during the United Progressive Alliance government?
The MIM had initiated the effort during the UPA regime, but only only by organising a series of meetings with the leaders of dalits and Muslims in several parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Our party contested local body elections in Karnataka and Maharashtra, besides Andhra Pradesh and Telangana during the UPA regime.
 
Do you consider the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance to be a hardliner government? Is that why the MIM has launched a movement to consolidate dalit-Muslim votes against Mr Modi?
Muslims of this country are well aware of the line of Mr Modi and a true Muslim will never forgive him for the genocide of Gujarati Muslims. I really appreciate
Mr Modi for breaking the myth of the Muslim votebank. The MIM is not targeting anyone; it has initiated the movement for the empowerment of the downtrodden and to strengthen the secular foundation of the nation, which was shaken due to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the genocide of Sikhs in Delhi in 1984, the destruction of the Babri Masjid and the carnage of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002.

Parliamentary democracy is a collective responsibility. On one hand, Mr Modi says something about Muslims and on the other hand one of his Cabinet colleagues calls Muslims “haram-zadas”. Mr Modi’s alma mater is making statements about the construction of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and about  declaring India a “Hindu rashtra”, but Mr Modi has not uttered a single word against these statements. What kind of attitude is this? On one hand, BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj says all madrasas are centres of terrorism, while on the other hand the Modi government gives Rs 209 crore to madrasas. In my speech on the Union Budget, when I pointed this out, Mr Modi kept quiet and did not answer.

Several Congress leaders, including Sharad Pawar and Digvijay Singh, have been alleging that the BJP and the MIM had a tacit understanding to split the secular vote, not only in Maharashtra, but in other parts of the country as well?
Those are all reckless and baseless allegations. In the Maharashtra elections we contested only 24 seats out of 288 seats and won two. The MIM secured five lakh odd votes out of a total 60 lakh Muslim votes. Where have the remaining 55 lakh votes gone? These did not go to the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Who got these votes, if not the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party? Was the MIM responsible for the debacle of these parties? If I say winning of 282 seats by the BJP alone in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections is a result of a tacit understanding with the so-called secular parties and the BJP, will they agree?

Why is the MIM concentrating on Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, which are considered to be bastions of the champions of secularism — Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan and Mamata Banerjee?
The MIM surely holds Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav responsible for the Muzzaffarnagar riots; it is a result of the unholy tieup between the Samajwadi Party and the RSS and we will surely expose it. Why has not even a single Muslim candidate put up by his party managed to get elected in the Lok Sabha elections? He also failed to provide reservations to the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh. As far as Mr Paswan is concerned, he has already exposed himself by shaking hands with the BJP and justifying the Gujarat carnage. Ms Banerjee has failed to deliver on the promises made to Muslims.

Are you confident that the MIM will make its mark in Uttar Pradesh after the announcement that Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav are joining hands?
We started our efforts to build our base in Uttar Pradesh prior to the general elections. I have been extensively touring the areas where Muslims and dalits are in considerable numbers. We are trying to convince people about our party’s stand and its prospects. There is an overwhelming response from the public, particularly youngsters from dalit and Muslim communities, as they are looking for a strong political voice. The MIM has set up offices in 18 districts of Uttar Pradesh and we will fight for Muslims and dalit rights there. We have to think about Bihar in view of the Nitish-Lalu combination, but I am sure that our party will create a base in Uttar Pradesh.

So, MIM is focusing only on unification of the dalit and Muslim votes?
Not really. Because the problems faced by dalits and Muslims are more or less similar, so initially we thought of going together. The MIM always had a larger perspective and wants to take everybody along in the coming days.
 
Is there any chance of MIM joining hands with the Lalu-Mulayam jodi as they are claiming that they are uniting to fight against Mr Modi?
No, never. Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and other so-called secularists are playing the old politics of 1970. Now it is 2014 and people’s perceptions have changed. Young people, who constitute 65 per cent of the population of this country, are seeking new politics and fresh ideas.

After the Maharashtra results, most of your well-wishers describe you as a future Prime Minister.
It’s rubbish. Asaduddin Owaisi will remain a servant to the weaker sections of this country. I don’t have any such ambition. Whoever thinks on those lines, surely is not my well-wisher.