Uttar Pradesh polls: BJP, Samajwadi Party two sides of same coin, says Owaisi

Lucknow: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen  (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday attacked BJP and Samajwadi Party, terming them as 'two sides of the same coin' and alleged while RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has been given liberty to hold meetings here, a ban was 'imposed' on him.

The Hyderabad MP said his party considered SP and BJP as its main rival in 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. “Our fight is against both SP and BJP. These parties are two sides of the same coin,” he said.

On administration in the state capital “imposing” a ban on his rally, Owaisi said “RSS chief Bhagwat has got the freedom, but ban is being imposed on us because in reality, the SP government is afraid of us.”

Owaisi was scheduled to visit Lucknow along with Faizabad, Azamgarh and Ambedkarnagar earlier this month. He was also scheduled to address a rally in Lucknow but was refused permission by the administration citing law and order issues.

After that, Owaisi’s entire Uttar Pradesh tour was cancelled. Owaisi, who faced criticism for his remarks on chanting of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, said he does not need a “certificate of patriotism” from anyone. He said Muslims have made big sacrifices for the country and their patriotism could not be “questioned” just for the sake of a slogan.

'Jai Meem, Jai Bheem' is AIMIM slogan in Uttar Pradesh during Assembly polls

Asaduddin Owaisi, on Monday, said that his party will go to next Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls with the slogan of ‘Jai Meem, Jai Bheem’.

Mr Owaisi, who has been working towards a Dalit-Muslim combination for his party, said, “The Samajwadi Party has betrayed Muslims. The party had promised reservation for Muslims but nothing has been done in this regard”, he said.

The AIMIM president alleged that SP dispensation in Uttar Pradesh has failed on all fronts and accused it of “deliberately” keeping Muslims backward.
Mr Owaisi was on a day-long visit to Lucknow on Monday.

He also questioned the Akhilesh government’s stand on the Muzaffarnagar riots and said that more than 50,000 people had been displaced but only two persons were said to be responsible for this.

Mr Owaisi also met the chairman of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana Rabe Hasan Nadvi in Lucknow and the meeting between the two leaders lasted for about 20 minutes.

Later, the AIMIM leader also interacted with students at the Islamic seminary. Earlier, Mr Owaisi visited the Deva Sharif Dargah in Barabanki district and offered prayers.