Owaisi slams 'secular' parties for treating Muslims as vote banks
What's the story
All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has slammed "so-called secular" parties for treating Muslims as mere vote banks. In an interview with NDTV, Owaisi said these parties don't see Muslims as citizens with rights. He was speaking after announcing his party's alliance with Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh.
Political criticism
Accusations of hypocrisy against opposition
Owaisi also accused opposition parties of hypocrisy, citing examples like the Samajwadi Party contesting in Jammu and Kashmir.
He questioned why SP contested in Kashmir if they were against his alliance with Azad.
He also slammed SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's visit to Ayodhya as an attempt to project Hindutva credentials.
Alliance rejection
Owaisi denies claims of SP alliance
Owaisi also dismissed claims that the Samajwadi Party had offered him an alliance, calling it "the biggest lie of 2026."
He said he had offered an alliance to SP, but they refused.
He accused Yadav of calling him names and alleged that under his rule, Muslims were turned into nomads in Muzaffarnagar after riots.
Political disruption
We are here to disturb political equilibrium: Owaisi
Owaisi described Azad as a young and dynamic leader, adding that established political parties wanted to maintain the status quo where Muslims and Dalits remained vote banks.
He said his alliance aimed to disrupt this equilibrium.
"They want the status quo, but we are here to disturb the political equilibrium. They don't like that," he said.