Asaduddin Owaisi, the president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), has criticized both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the newly formed Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, stating that there is a political vacuum in the country that necessitates the formation of a third front.
Owaisi’s AIMIM has not joined the INDIA bloc, which comprises 28 Opposition political parties. He expressed indifference to not being invited to join the alliance, saying, “I don’t care about not being invited. BSP chief Mayawati, Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, and several parties from Northeast and Maharashtra are also not members of this alliance.” He further emphasized that there is a political vacuum that needs to be filled.
“We have asked Telangana CM KCR to go ahead and form a third front and take several parties in this. There is a political vacuum that will be filled if KCR takes the lead. INDIA alliance is not being able to fill this vacuum,” Owaisi remarked.
Responding to Owaisi’s comments, Pawan Khera, a spokesperson for the Congress, alleged that Owaisi secretly allies with Amit Shah, the Home Minister of India. “We knew it long before and now the country also knows it. Amit Shah was supposed to do a rally in Maharashtra, but then as he got to know that the Congress would hold a rally in Hyderabad, he came to Telangana. Owaisi did not hold any rally in Hyderabad for a long time. But now he will also hold a rally. Owaisi has another friend which is BRS. So this is ABC (Asaduddin Owaisi, BRS, and Chanakya),” Khera asserted.
Owaisi’s statements come at a time when the Congress party is strategizing for the upcoming Assembly and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) recently held an extended meeting in Hyderabad to discuss its strategy.
During the meeting, the Congress party emphasized the need for social justice and expressed its commitment to making the INDIA bloc a success both ideologically and electorally. The party also called for the passage of the women’s reservation bill, a caste census, and an increase in the reservation limits for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Additionally, the CWC rejected the concept of “one nation, one election,” considering it a threat to the country’s federal structure.
As Indian politics continues to evolve, the formation of alliances and the emergence of new fronts are likely to play a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of the nation.