KISHANGANJ: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday alleged that "communalism is on the rise" in the country ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ascent to power and Muslims were being deprived of their due share in politics.
Addressing a rally in Kishanganj district of Bihar, the Hyderabad MP also accused the Congress of failure to take a clear stand on Ayodhya, where a mosque was razed by a mob and a temple of Lord Ram has come up.
"Communalism is on the rise. Narendra Modi has driven Muslim minorities away from politics," claimed Owaisi.
Without mentioning by name the Congress, which has been representing Kishanganj in Lok Sabha for the past few terms, Owaisi said, "Can you expect your local MP, the party to which he belongs, to hold a press conference and denounce in clear terms the destruction of Babri mosque?
They will never do so, out of fear that it might not go down well with other communities, the AIMIM chief claimed adding: "They take only you (Muslims) for granted."
He also claimed that he had predicted Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's return to the BJP-led NDA long back.
"People here would recall that when I had come here last year I had warned that Nitish Kumar is not to be trusted, that he was not likely to remain in an anti-BJP camp for long and might do another somersault," said the Hyderabad MP.
Muslims must not waste their votes on Kumar, who heads the JD(U), said Owaisi who is on a three-day tour of Seemanchal region, Bihar's north-eastern part bordering Nepal and West Bengal which has a high concentration of Muslims.
He said, "Kumar has been accusing us (AIMIM) of being the B-team of the BJP just because we have always held that this man was not to be trusted and Muslims must not waste their votes on him."
When the RJD weaned away four AIMIM MLAs in 2022, it pleased Nitish Kumar to no end and a few months later, the two parties joined hands, said Owaisi.
"Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav (former Deputy CM and Prasad's son) seem to have a similar aversion to Muslims getting their share in power. Their government proved that," alleged Owaisi.
According to a post shared by the party on X, Owaisi is accompanied by Majid Hussain, MLA and the AIMIM's Bihar in charge, and national spokesperson Aadil Hasan.