BJP-SBSP spar over Owaisi's dargah visit in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi's visit to dargah sharif at Bahraich to pay obeisance to medieval Ghaznavid general, Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud a.k.a. Ghazi Miyan has kicked off a major controversy.

Owaisi visited the dargah on Thursday evening during his visit to Bahraich and offered 'chadar'.

His visit has led to trading of charges between the BJP and the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha constituents -- AIMIM and the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP).

Uttar Pradesh Minister, Anil Rajbhar, said that the AIMIM and SBSP alliance was an insult to the backward Rajbhar community.

"The visit of Owaisi to the dargah is an insult to Maharaja Suheldev, an 11th century ruler, who is said to have defeated and killed Masud in a battle at Bahraich in 1034 AD," he said.

The minister said that the BJP government was working to restore the pride of Suheldev by constructing a memorial and installing a statue at Chittaura in Bahraich.

"The leaders of Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha have hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community who revered Maharaja Suheldev," he said.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Sardhana Assembly seat in Meerut, Sangeet Som, also lashed out at Owaisi and Om Prakash Rajbhar on the issue.

SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar said BJP leaders were trying to drive a wedge between the AIMIM and the SBSP over the issue of Maharaja Suheldev and Salar Masud as they feared that OBC (Other Backward Class) voters will not support the BJP in the Assembly election.

"The SBSP will contest the Assembly election in alliance with the AIMIM. We will work on Backward-Muslim and Dalit unity to win the Assembly election," he asserted.

Owaisi also hit back at the BJP leaders, "We are not jokers of the circus but ring masters and all will dance to our tunes."

He alleged that the BJP was trying to divert the attention from the Covid mismanagement by the state government by raking up irrelevant issues.

Owaisi said AIMIM will contest the 2022 Assembly election in alliance with SBSP-led Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha which would highlight the failure of the BJP government to keep the promises made during the 2017 Assembly election.