Kishanganj: All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has kicked off his election campaign in Bihar with fierce rhetoric, challenging rivals across party lines and vowing a political resurgence in the upcoming assembly elections.
With less than six months to go before Bihar heads to the polls, political parties have shifted into campaign gear. On a two-day tour of Seemanchal, Owaisi began his outreach from the minority-dominated Kishanganj district, where AIMIM had previously made inroads.
Speaking at a rally in Bahadurganj on Saturday, Owaisi took aim at Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav without naming him directly. “Those who stole our four MLAs will come back as beggars. If four of ours went, twenty-four will return,” he thundered, referring to the defection of AIMIM legislators to the RJD. He added that the day is not far when RJD leaders would seek favours from AIMIM state president Akhtarul Iman and former MLA Tausif Alam.
Positioning AIMIM as the defender of minority rights, Owaisi accused rivals of “selling their conscience” and appealed to voters to “strengthen the Majlis” to safeguard mosques and Waqf properties. “Those who bought our conscience-selling MLAs are themselves conscience-sellers,” he alleged.
Owaisi also launched a broadside against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu, and the Congress-RJD alliance over their silence on the Waqf Amendment Act. Responding to allegations that AIMIM serves as the BJP’s ‘B team,’ he said, “We tore the Waqf Bill in Parliament. You, the so-called A team, remained silent. Was your mouth filled with curd?”
He further asserted that the fight to protect Waqf lands and religious sites would continue until Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdraws the legislation, which he termed a “black law.” “Nitish, Chirag, and Naidu cannot decide the fate of our Waqf property,” he declared.
In a symbolic move, Congress leader and District Council President’s representative Faiyaz Alam joined AIMIM during the event, lending weight to the party’s local presence.
Owaisi began his address by condemning the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, observing a minute’s silence for the victims. He expressed solidarity with the Indian government and criticised international voices urging dialogue with Pakistan. “What did you do in Ukraine and Russia?” he asked foreign leaders, warning that attempts to communalise the tragedy would only weaken the nation.
