Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Bandi Sanjay dared All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi to contest the next Assembly elections across the state, claiming that the party will struggle “to recover its deposits”.
Speaking to mediapersons in Karimnagar on Wednesday, Sanjay claimed it wasn’t possible for any party to face the BJP in Telangana, adding that the AIMIM leaders don’t have the brains to defeat the saffron party. “AIMIM party doesn’t contest polls beyond the old city (Hyderabad). If you (Owaisi) have the guts and the belief that your party is working for the Muslim community, contest across Telangana. You will struggle to recover your deposits,” Sanjay said.
He added, “It’s not possible for any party to face the BJP in Telangana. The AIMIM party doesn’t have the brains (to outwit the saffron party in the polls).”
The BJP’s state chief alleged further that the AIMIM doesn’t want to come to power in Telangana as it knows that will never happen.
“All parties fight polls with an aim to come to power in their respective states. However, the AIMIM never fought polls to come to power, neither in undivided Andhra Pradesh nor Telangana. This is because they know that they cannot come to power on their own. They will always support the ruling party in the state,” Sanjay said.
Questioning the AIMIM’s silence on unemployment in the state and lack of development, Sanjay asked the Owaisi-led party to clarify why it was “sheltering” the ruling Bharat Rashtriya Samithi (BRS).
“We are not against the Muslims. The AIMIM was in alliance with the TDP and the Congress when they were in power (in undivided Andhra). It is in alliance with the BRS now. Why didn’t they transform the old city into a new city? Why are companies not coming to the old city, why are the youth not getting employed in the old city? Why are people, whose visas have expired, roaming in the old city? Why is the AIMIM party sheltering them?” Sanjay added.
He claimed further that the AIMIM takes money from other parties during elections and, hence, does not field candidates anywhere except Hyderabad.
“The AIMIM does ‘hulchul’ (makes a fuss) before elections, claiming it will contest across Telangana. However, they end up taking money from some other party and selling their conscience to them. They will not contest anywhere but in Hyderabad. They don’t have the guts to do so,” the BJP state chief said.
He added that the AIMIM was helping the ruling party in a bid to bring a halt to the BJP’s forward strides in Telangana, claiming that neither of them could stop his party from making inroads in the state.
“AIMIM is asking the BRS to stop the BJP. But what can they do? Neither you nor the BRS can stop the BJP. The steering wheel of the BRS is in the hands of the AIMIM. They (BRS and AAP) are one and the same and now, the Congress is joining them. The BRS and AIMIM will contest the upcoming elections in alliance. The BJP will fight the polls on its own and come to power,” Sanjay said.