Patna: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his back-to-back rallies in poll-bound Bihar on Wednesday.
The Hyderabad MP accused the BJP of spreading false narratives about infiltration and discriminating against the Muslim community, while also targeting the Opposition’s INDIA bloc for sidelining his party.
Owaisi Questions BJP’s ‘Infiltrator’ Rhetoric
Taking on Amit Shah’s repeated references to “infiltrators” in his campaign speeches, Owaisi dismissed the allegations and questioned the Centre’s intent.
Owaisi slams BNSS notice as political vendetta, calls it a threat to democracy
“There is no infiltration in Bihar. If there is, then what is Amit Shah doing? He keeps saying again and again that he’ll remove the infiltrators where is this infiltration?” Owaisi asked during his rally.
He further argued that if infiltration still exists, it reflects poorly on the performance of the Home Ministry and its agencies. “You are the Home Minister. The BSF is under you. The border police force is under you. Intelligence is under you. Nitish Kumar’s government has been in Bihar for 20 years,” he said.
‘Infiltrators Sitting in Delhi’
Owaisi also took a dig at the Modi government’s foreign policy, invoking the case of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been staying in India since her ouster from power in August 2024.
“Again and again Amit Shah and Modi talk about infiltrators. We are telling you the infiltrators are sitting in Delhi. The people of Bangladesh have thrown them out, and Modi said, ‘Come, my sister,’” he remarked.
The AIMIM leader had earlier questioned the government’s decision to host Hasina asking why are we keeping that deposed leader in the country. He asked to send her back citing she is also a Bangladeshi.
BJP’s Ticket Distribution and Muslim Representation
Criticising the BJP’s stance on inclusivity, Owaisi pointed out that despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, the BJP failed to field even one Muslim candidate in Bihar.
“In the 101 seats the BJP is contesting, not a single Muslim candidate has been given a ticket. So where is the inclusivity they talk about?” Owaisi questioned.
Ignored by INDIA Bloc, AIMIM Fights Alone
Owaisi also took aim at the INDIA bloc, which has excluded AIMIM from its alliance in Bihar. He announced that AIMIM would contest 32 out of the 243 assembly seats independently. Bihar will go to polls in two phases—on November 6 and 11, with results on November 14.
The Hyderabad MP questioned the bloc’s choice of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate and Mukesh Sahni of the Vikassheel Insan Party as the proposed deputy CM.
“Why cannot a Muslim, who represents 17 per cent of Bihar’s population, become the chief minister? They have no problem offering the deputy CM’s post to someone representing just three per cent,” he said.
He accused the Congress, RJD, and Samajwadi Party of “exploiting Muslim fears” to secure votes without ensuring genuine representation. “They seek Muslim votes under the pretext of stopping the BJP but fail to empower the community politically,” Owaisi asserted.
Bareilly Unrest: Can say ‘I love Modi’ but not ‘I love Muhammad’ in India, fumes Owaisi
‘We Tore the Waqf Law’
In another rally at Pothia, Owaisi touched on issues concerning Muslim personal laws. “They brought the Waqf law, and we tore it in front of them, calling it a black law. We must fight for what is right, without fear,” he told supporters, urging them to back AIMIM candidates.
Polarised Bihar Campaign
Owaisi’s fiery speeches come amid an increasingly polarised campaign in Bihar, where national security, religion, and development dominate the political discourse ahead of the November assembly elections.
With both national and regional parties sharpening their narratives, Owaisi’s AIMIM is positioning itself as an alternative voice for Muslim representation in the state’s political landscape.