All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s (AIMIM) national spokesperson Syed Asim Waqar on Wednesday (September 2) joined the Congress and hit out at his former party, alleging that it pays lip service to removing the BJP from power but “helps” the ruling party.
Waqar joined the Congress in the presence of AICC in-charge for Uttar Pradesh Rajendra Pal Gautam, UP Congress chief Ajay Rai and AICC Minority Department chairman Imran Pratapgarhi at the AICC Office in Delhi.
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The move is seen as a big blow to Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM ahead of next year’s Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Many political observers see it as a development that can potentially impact Owaisi’s bid to make electoral inroads in the state. Waqar was a prominent voice in Uttar Pradesh and known to be close to Owaisi.
Assembly polls are set to take place in Uttar Pradesh early next year, with the ruling BJP facing a likely joint challenge from the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress.
What Waqar said
At a press conference, Waqar said everyone who loves the country has only one objective: to dislodge this “anti-national” BJP government and form a secular government that works in the people’s interest.
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“But I felt, being in the AIMIM for so many years, that we pay lip service by stating that the BJP must be removed, but on the ground we don’t fight the BJP; we fight the Congress, the SP, we are fighting every other person who wants to remove the BJP,” Waqar said.
“So, I felt that if we keep fighting the Opposition and do not allow it to blossom, then we are helping the BJP. I have decided that if we are true nationalists and want to remove the BJP honestly, then our objective should be to fight the BJP. If we are fighting the enemies of the BJP, then we are friends of the BJP,” he added.
“In reality, if someone is fighting the BJP across the country, it is Congress, Rahul Gandhi and his team,” Waqar asserted.
Rai praises Waqar
Rai said Waqar’s joining would strengthen the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. “He has always worked to deliver a positive message to society with his eloquence. His thinking and his ideas are connected to that dream which our leader Rahul Gandhi ji envisioned for this country. Today, the ‘Mohabbat ki Dukaan’ is continuously expanding, and in the year 2027, the Congress flag will flutter in every village and every street of Uttar Pradesh.”
Gautam said, “Under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, Shri Rahul Gandhi, a movement is underway across the country on issues concerning education, employment, students, women, and marginalised sections.”
“Rahul Gandhi ji is firmly raising the voice of every section and continuously cautioning the government on every front. Inspired by this, senior leaders from various parties are joining the Congress Party and strengthening the hands of Shri Mallikarjun Kharge and Shri Rahul Gandhi,” he said.