Days After AIMIM Fields Azharuddin's Opponent In Telangana, Cong Sharpens 'Vote-Cutter' Attack On Owaisi

Telangana Election 2023: The Congress sharpened its attack on AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi claiming that he collaborates with the BJP, diverting the party's vote bank in exchange for financial support.

File Photo of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi ( Image Source :PTI )

Days before the Telangana Assembly elections on November 30, the political battleground in the state is heating up as Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi of being a "vote-cutter." Chowdhury alleged that Owaisi collaborates with the BJP, diverting Congress's vote bank in exchange for financial support. He claimed that an atmosphere of change is brewing in Telangana and the BJP is relying on Owaisi's party to navigate political challenges.

"(Asaduddin) Owaisi cuts vote... He takes money from the BJP so that he can divert Congress's vote bank... Everyone knows that he take money from the BJP to help it in cutting into the Congress vote bank. Everyone know about this. An atmosphere of change has been created in Telangana by Congress and Revanth Reddy. There is a storm for change in the state. Asaduddin Owaisi is the leader of the party that the BJP trusts to get it out of this trouble," Chowdhury said, as per news agency ANI.

Former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin, contesting from Jubilee Hills as a Congress candidate, faces a challenging electoral debut in his hometown. Owaisi, strategically fielding his party's corporator Mohammed Rashed Farazuddin from Jubilee Hills, has intensified the political contest.

Owaisi, on Monday, took a dig at Telangana Congress Chief Revanth Reddy accusing him of "dog whistle politics" and being an "RSS puppet." Earlier on Sunday, he said: "Telangana PCC chief started as an RSS member wearing a chaddi and then went to ABVP, then joined Telugu Desam and now come to Congress. Someone said it right that Congress's Gandhi Bhavan is captured by Mohan Bhagwat and will run Congress however he wants", as quoted by ANI.

Telangana Election 2023: Congress, BJP Posters Targetting Owaisi

In a unique campaign move, Congress placed hoardings depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a puppeteer, controlling Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi as puppets. The Congress leaders claim that both BRS and AIMIM collaborate with the BJP, referring to them as the "B and C teams" of the Congress party.

(Image Source: Special Arrangement)

The political drama continued with a cartoon posted by the BJP portraying Owaisi as a Qazi solemnising the marriage between Congress and BRS. The cartoon satirically declared that the alliance was no longer a private affair. Responding to this, Owaisi dismissed it as a move by the BJP, acknowledging that his poster might be more effective for them than PM Modi's photo in Telangana.

Addressing a public meeting, the AIMIM chief said, “In a cartoon, I was shown as a Qazi (religious leader) conducting the marriage of Congress and BRS. The BJP has finally got to know that PM Modi's photo is not working for them in poll-bound Telangana. They know that putting out my poster will be beneficial for them. Go ahead. Do it, as your PM Modi's photo has failed to make any impact”, as per ANI.

In October, Owaisi addressed accusations of being a vote-cutter and urged people not to vote out of fear.

"I am contesting elections in Rajasthan for the first time. How did 25 BJP MPs win from the state in 2019? People in the Congress won't be able to give an answer to it. Tomorrow, those responsible in the Congress will say Owaisi came and gave a provocative speech," he said.

Owaisi 'Secretly Supporting' BJP Candidate In Goshamahal, Former AIMIM Corporator Claims

It is pertinent to note that Khaja Bilal Ahmed, a former AIMIM corporator from Rein Bazaar, raised allegations against Asaduddin Owaisi, suggesting that he is secretly supporting the BJP's D. Raja Singh in the Goshamahal constituency. Ahmed claimed that the absence of an AIMIM candidate in Goshamahal was a deliberate move to aid Raja Singh's victory, The Deccan Chronicle reported. 

"Muslims of the city should think about whether it is Azharuddin they want to defeat or Raja Singh. Majlis not fielding a candidate from Goshamahal is a huge conspiracy. It is because MIM wants Raja Singh to win, then become the BJP candidate from Hyderabad for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, use his presence to polarise voters to ensure a victory in the Parliament elections for Asaduddin Owaisi," he said, as quoted by the Deccan Chronicle.

In response to this, AIMIM's senior leader Akbaruddin Owaisi implied that AIMIM is unfairly blamed for various aspects, emphasising the complexities of political choices in the region.

He was quoted as saying, "We are told Yogi won (in Uttar Pradesh) because we contested from there. So, if we go to Goshamahal, who will win? There is no satisfaction no matter what we do. Then there is a RSS ‘Tillu’ who heads Congress. Why did he field India’s famous batsman from Jubilee Hills? He could have been fielded from Goshamahal. Why blame the MIM for everything?"

AIMIM is contesting nine seats in Telangana with Akbaruddin contesting from Chandrayangutta, Mir Zulfeqar Ali from Charminar, Mohd Majid Hussain from Nampally, Ahmed Bin Abdullah Balala from Malakpet, Jaffar Hussain Mehraj from Yakutpura, Belli Ravi Yadav from Rajendranagar, Kausar Mohiuddin from Karwan, Muhammad Mubeen from Bahadurpura seat and Mohammed Rashed Farazuddin, from Jubilee Hills.

Election day on November 30 will determine the fate of 119 Assembly seats in the state, with vote counting scheduled for December 3.

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