Lucknow: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said that the party's objective is to defeat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls next year.
Owaisi said he was ready to discuss political alliances but maintained that he will not be reaching out to parties such as BSP and SP and they have to talk first. "We will fight the elections and win. The Muslims of Uttar Pradesh will win. Till when we will let them win? We have had enough...we will vote for ourselves and win," Owaisi told the media here.
"Our objective is to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh," he added.
He said the vast sections of the main minority community in the state has been voting for the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
"We are ready to discuss political alliance, but let them talk first. We won't be reaching out to any of these parties for the alliance," Owaisi said answering a query.
Owaisi announced that former MP and jailed gangster Atiq Ahmad and his wife have joined AIMIM.
"You will ask me that we are inducting Atiq's family when he has a criminal record. In Uttar Pradesh, 37 per cent of BJP MLA have criminal cases against them. There are 116 MPs in BJP who have criminal charges against them," he said.
He alleged that many BJP leaders faced cases concerning Muzaffarnagar riots but these were withdrawn.
"It is only people with names like Atiq, Mukhtar Ansari against whom cases stick. They are never withdrawn. Perhaps if they had other names, they would have been withdrawn," he alleged.
Owaisi, who also addressed a press conference in Ayodhya, said AIMIM will fight polls in Uttar Pradesh with full strength.
"In the last five years, AIMIM has strengthened its organisation. If there is one community that doesn't have a political leadership or voice here it is the Muslims," he said.
"Babri Masjid demolition happened in Ayodhya, the whole world witnessed it. Today, the secular parties are scared of mentioning it," he added. He said 110 assembly constituencies in the state have 30-39 percent population of the main minority community and the percentage goes up to 40-49 on 44 seats and to 50-65 per cent on 11 seats.
Owaisi is on a three-day visit to the state which is scheduled to face assembly elections early next year. He has been in talks with smaller political outfits. AIMIM did not win any seat in the last assembly polls in the state.
