Kanpur: AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Smajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, saying the Muzaffarnagar violence occurred during his tenure as UP chief minister and had displaced 50,000 people.Launching his party’s Uttar Pradesh election campaign from Kanpur, the Hyderabad MP mocked political rivals for claiming they would form the next govt despite defeats in 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2024. “People know how many riots had occurred under their rule,” he said.Addressing young people, he said India’s future would soon be in their hands and Muslims’ future would rest on their shoulders.Pledging to prevent BJP from securing a third term in UP, he said an alliance decision would be announced on Oct 2.Owaisi urged those seeking to prevent BJP’s return to unite with AIMIM, saying they could stop “Baba” from becoming chief minister again.Referring to Kanpur Development Authority’s recent early-morning bulldozer action at a city graveyard, Owaisi questioned whether it complied with Waqf laws. He said, “They are allowing neither the living to live in peace nor the dead to rest in peace.”Responding to critics who describe AIMIM as a “B team” and accuse him of using a harsh tone, Owaisi said Muslims’ condition in Uttar Pradesh was the collective outcome of actions by all political parties. He asked parties supported by Muslims why 70% of Muslims in the state aged above 15 had been denied primary education.Owaisi said Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar spent eight years in jail without seeking forgiveness from the British. He said Jauhar had served as Congress president and declared in London, “If I do not win freedom, I will not return.”Owaisi briefly paused his speech when the Azaan began in the background, with the moment spreading across social media.He is expected to address rallies in Shravasti on Sept 27 and Azamgarh on Oct 11 as AIMIM seeks to strengthen its state assembly presence by 2027.
