AIMIM will contest Rajasthan, Karnataka elections, says Owasisi

Hyderabad: The AIMIM will contest coming Assembly elections in Rajasthan and Karnataka, its President Asaduddin Owaisi announced on Thursday.

He also exuded confidence that the party will increase its strength in Telangana in the elections scheduled later this year.

The Hyderabad MP was addressing 65th formation day celebrations of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) at its headquarters Darussalam.

Owaisi asked his party cadres to gear up for the Telangana Assembly elections. "The poll bugle for the Telangana Assembly elections has been sounded," he said.

Alleging that the BJP is trying to spread hatred in Telangana, he hoped that people will reject BJP and ensure that peace prevail and the state continue its journey on the path of development.

"Telangana since its formation has seen rapid progress in all sectors. Its GDP is higher than the GDP of BJP-ruled states. The state is free from communal riots. There is both peace and development in Telangana," he said and asked the party cadre to effectively counter the hatred which the BJP is trying to spread in the state.

Owaisi condemned the statements being made by BJP leaders to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the state. "People should decide whether they want Constitution or bulldozer, if they want peace or repression," he said.

He slammed Narendra Modi government over another increase in price of cooking gas cylinders. "I appeal to all my mothers and sisters in the country to do namaskar and salam to the gas cylinder before casting their votes in the next election," he said.

Owaisi announced that his party would provide financial support to families of Junaid and Nasir of Rajasthan who were brutally murdered by alleged cow vigilantes in Haryana and also to family of Qadeer Khan, a youth from Telangana who died after police torture in custody.

The MP demanded that the policemen who tortured Qadeer Khan be booked for murder. He said suspension of policemen is not a punishment.

Owaisi branded gaurakshaks as terrorists and said the BJP government in Haryana has set up a special cell to give licensed weapons to them.

"By doing this, the BJP wants to strengthen itself in Haryana but it is in fact weakening rule of law and the country," he said.

The AIMIM chief said that Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar's statement that China is a bigger economy than India shows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has surrendered before China.

Owaisi asked why the Prime Minister does not take the name of China. Stating that China is occupying a large swathe of Indian land, he wanted to know what the Modi government was doing to take back the territory.

AIMIM leader in Telangana Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi also slammed Modi and remarked that India does not want a chaiwala, chowkidar or faqir Prime Minister but it needs a strong Prime Minister who can safeguard the country's borders.