Polarisation of voters seems to be the main agenda of major political parties in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. The Hindu-Muslim narrative has been used to consolidate vote banks, says All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, one of the major champions of Muslim voices and often accused of evoking religious sentiments. He spoke to The Tribune Chief of Bureau Naveen S Garewal. Excerpts:
Why has the current political debate deviated from issues of development and good governance to seeking votes on the basis of religion alone?
The BJP wants to come to power at the cost of division by promoting majoritarian democracy. There was not a single Muslim BJP MP in the outgoing Lok Sabha and no tickets have been given to any Muslim candidate this time either. Muslims are only told to go to Pakistan and every time we have to prove our loyalty to Hindustan. Muslims are as staunch nationalists as anyone else.
Do you think this strategy of dividing vote banks is working? Will your appeal to Muslim voters work?
There is no wave in favour of Narendra Modi like 2014. In fact, people are totally disgruntled with the performance of the BJP government. The government will be formed by a non-BJP, non-Congress front in which 130 seats from South India will play a major role. At present, it is only the regional parties that click with the sentiment of voters.
The AIMIM is part of Federal Front proposed by Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao. What role do you see for this front after the elections?
No Modi, no Rahul. At this point, I can only say that the next Prime Minister of India will be from a regional alliance and from South. I see 2019 as an open election where no party has any edge. Barring 100 seats where the BJP and Congress are involved in a direct contest, all remaining 443 are locked in a triangular fight with the regional parties.
Can you name a few probables that may be the frontrunners for the top slot from among this non-BJP, non-Cong alliance?
I would not like to name any individual because that would be an insult to others. However, I can assure you that there are many capable people who can run the country well. Let the people not speculate. It will not be an alien and will be a person from among the galaxy of several capable leaders who run the regional parties in India.
With so much stress on regional parties taking the lead in these elections, is the AIMIM proposing to expand its base in other Muslim-dominated regions?
The AIMIM is solidly in alliance with the TRS in Telangana where we will win all 17 seats. The BJP will lose its sole Secunderabad seat. Barring Karnataka, the BJP is unlikely to win a single seat in Andhra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu. But coming back to AIMIM, we are supporting and strengthening the regional parties in the South. AIMIM is directly contesting the Hyderabad and Aurangabad (Maharashtra) seats.
Apart from the religious agenda, what issues do you see dominating these polls?
The BJP has tried to bring in the narrative on security because it has failed on all other fronts like providing employment, inflation, bungled on implementation of GST, demonetisation, etc. The Congress has no clear agenda, it is still frozen in the slogan of “garibi hatao” that has been on since Independence. The regional parties are pushing from scrapping of concurrent list and having a relook at the state and union lists.
Why are you seen as a leader whose politics is based on support from just one community?
Talking against Modi should not be construed to mean that I am against the majority community. I believe in the Constitution of India that bestows equal rights and responsibilities on every citizen. The Constitution does not provide for majoritarian form of democracy, which the BJP has tried to introduce. Modi is telling the people BJP is India and India is BJP. This is incorrect and that is what I oppose. I am against the BJP and RSS, and I will continue to remain so.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2WKiB58
via Today’s News Headlines
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