HYDERABAD: Drawing a firm political line, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi Saturday categorically ruled out any alliance with the BJP or NDA, asserting that the party’s ideological position was non-negotiable.Seeking to contain damage caused by a local episode in Maharashtra, Owaisi said he had directed five AIMIM corporators in Akot nagar parishad to withdraw support to a BJP-sponsored candidate for a co-option post.
Addressing reporters at party’s headquarters at Darus Salam, Owaisi said the corporators had committed a serious error by backing a BJP-sponsored candidate and confirmed that show-cause notices had been issued to them. He said the group they aligned with included BJP and that he had personally cautioned the corporators when they met him in Amravati.“Only the party leadership will decide on alliances. One thing I made very clear to them that we cannot go with the BJP or NDA at all,” Owaisi said, responding to a query from TOI.Rejecting any suggestion of ideological dilution, Owaisi said the brief and controversial alignment in Akot should not be misread as a ‘policy shift’. He underlined local corporators and councillors have no authority to take decisions on alliances or political strategy, which rests solely with the party leadership.Owaisi also thanked voters for electing AIMIM candidates in 125 civic divisions across municipal corporations in Maharashtra and asked newly-elected representatives to remain rooted in their wards and be responsive to people’s grievances. He said the party’s winning candidates included Hindus alongside Muslims, underscoring AIMIM’s expanding social footprint.On future electoral plans, Owaisi said the party would soon deliberate and clearly spell out its strategy for assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. He said parties that lost the Maharashtra polls should introspect before branding AIMIM as BJP’s “B-team,” adding that the mandate reflected the people’s choice and that there were no irregularities in the voters’ list.Maha verdict evidentCommenting on political developments involving the Thackeray cousins, Owaisi said the verdict was evident, pointing out that Uddhav Thackeray’s candidate had won in the area where Eknath Shinde’s house is located.Over possible poaching of his party’s corporators, Owaisi said he was confident that those elected on the AIMIM symbol would remain loyal to the party, while adding that precautionary steps were being taken to keep the organisation united.On ongoing violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, Owaisi said India shares both land and sea borders with the neighbouring country and that its stability is important for India’s national interest.
