What is your track record, Owaisi asks opposition leaders gathered in Patna

Hyderabad: AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday slammed the leaders of opposition parties who met in Patna to discuss strategy to take on the BJP, asking them to examine their own "track record".

Owaisi told media persons that he was not invited to the meeting because he speaks the truth.

"We also don't want Narendra Modi to become Prime Minister again of this great nation in 2024 and for that, we will definitely be using whatever our efforts are there but this particular meeting held in Patna today, what is the track record of political leaders who assembled there," asked the Hyderabad MP.

"Is it not correct that because of the Congress, the BJP came to power twice. It is it not right to say that Nitish Kumar was Railway Minister when Godhra happened and he continued to be with the BJP during Gujarat genocide. Is it not a fact that he became Chief Minister because of alliance with the BJP. He left the BJP and formed Maha Gathbandhan, became the Chief Minister and then left them, he returned to the BJP and has now again left the BJP."

The AIMIM chief said Nitish Kumar did not even visit his constituency when communal riots took place and a 100-year-old madarsa was burnt but he invited parties from all over India.

He wondered how Shiv Sena became a secular party when its leader Udhav Thackeray as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, had said in the Assembly that he was proud of the demolition of Babri Masjjid.

He recalled that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal supported the BJP when it brought a Bill in the Parliament to repeal Article 370 but was now going around the country to drum up support against an ordinance brought by the same BJP government.

The Hyderabad MP also pointed out that Congress supported the amendment to UAPA brought by the BJP government. He referred to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement that she has the biggest gotra.

"You are saying that you are against the BJP agenda but what is your agenda," he asked, adding that these leaders arrogated to themselves the right to call others secular or communal.

"This is just the beginning. Let us see what happens," he remarked, quoting a popular Urdu couplet when asked about the future of the opposition unity. He also remarked, "Dilli abhi door hai".

Owaisi said those who attended the meeting have their own dreams. Congress wants to be in the forefront and Nitish Kumar wants to become the Prime Minister, he said.

The AIMIM chief said that Narendra Modi wants faces to be projected for the Prime Minister's post as this will benefit BJP.

"We want a fight against Modi in all 540 Lok Sabha seats. The faces should be of unemployment, mob lynching, inflation, falling GDP and price rise," he added.