Bhopal, Jun 29 (PTI)
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said Congress is losing its relevance fast and should wither away which will pave the way for the beginning of new politics in the country.
Taking a swipe at Congress, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief also said Narendra Modi could become the prime minister twice because of Congress' (performance).
He dismissed the allegation that the AIMIM cuts into the votes of Congress in elections.
".....If that is the case then it seems Pragya Thakur (BJP MP from Bhopal) won the election and also the 22 legislators of Congress joined hands with BJP to bring Shivraj Singh Chouhan to power again due to AIMIM," he said sarcastically.
"You see that Congress is going down. We expect the Congress will not only be weakened but should fade away so that a new politics can begin in the country. Narendra Modi became the prime minister twice due to Congress," Owaisi told reporters.
The Hyderabad MP said Congress's politics will finish if Muslims understand the exact share of their representation in political leadership.
He said the poor condition of Congress could be gauged from the fact that it failed to gather even 100 people when its leader (Rahul Gandhi) was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning.
Owaisi appealed to Muslim residents of the Hindi heartland to ensure their adequate representation in local bodies and the Assembly, and create leadership in alliance with Dalits and STs.
He said some legislators have been representing their respective constituencies for three decades but have failed to develop the education infrastructure, resulting in the lowest literacy among Muslims.
Queried on a proposal before the Maharashtra government demanding that Aurangabad city be renamed Sambhaji Nagar, Owaisi said the Maha Vikas Aghadi should first face the floor test in the state Assembly (on Thursday as directed by the state governor).
The Shiv Sena should take care of its flock and the government instead of Aurangabad, which is facing a water crisis, he said referring to the political crisis in Maharashtra.
Owaisi said the proposal to rename Aurangabad also poses a challenge for the NCP and Congress if they decide to support it.
"The NCP and Congress were appealing to people to not vote for AIMIM to keep Shiv Sena away from power. But they joined hands with Sena after (the 2019) elections to form a government (in Maharashtra). This is hypocrisy. These are double standards. I don't accept political secularism but believe in the Constitutional one," he added.
Replying to a query about the possibility of AIMIM tying up with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Owaisi said he didn't agree with the ideology of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Owaisi said the AIMIM will contest the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh which are due next year.
He reiterated the opposition to the 'Agnipath' scheme for recruitment into the armed forces.
On BJP MP Varun Gandhi questioning the need for post-retirement benefits for elected leaders when those being selected in the Agnipath scheme will not be given pension once their four-year tenure gets over, Owaisi said this proposal should come from the Prime Minister and all the BJP MPs.
The discrepancies in the 'Agnipath' scheme will divide the Army, he added.
