Guwahati, April 2 AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi stated on Thursday that Muslims will cast their votes unitedly in favour of the AIUDF in the Assam assembly elections to be held on April 9.
Addressing a rally at the Binnakandi constituency in support of AIUDF candidate and party chief Badruddin Ajmal, Owaisi alleged that the ruling BJP is indulging in "hate politics" and that the Congress is "silent" on the matter.
"Muslims will cast their votes unitedly, and Badruddin Ajmal's 29 candidates will win. The AIUDF will decide the politics of Assam," he said.
Owaisi also said that the eviction drives being carried out by the BJP-led Assam government are "completely unconstitutional".
"Badruddin Ajmal went to the Supreme Court against this. The apex court ordered that if it is forest land, then alternative land should be provided. Otherwise, they should not be displaced," he said.
The Assam government has displaced 50,000 people, which, according to the AIMIM chief, is "a major injustice and violation of human rights," and is "pure hatred".
"The BJP is indulging in hate politics, and the Congress is silent on it. That is why the AIUDF leadership here will be successful based on the support of the Muslim minority," Owaisi said.
He asserted that the Muslim community in Assam has been facing various problems for many years, and that the security and rights of minorities have not been ensured.
"I have come to Assam for a specific purpose. I have come to speak out for the rights and protection of Miya Muslims in Assam," Owaisi said.
'Miya' is originally a derogatory term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, and non-Bengali-speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting this term as a gesture of defiance.
Owaisi also criticised the BJP and earlier Congress governments for their "negative steps" regarding the NRC and CAA, among other things.
"The minority community has been used for only political gains in Assam for decades... The community's citizenship issue should not be used for political mileage," he added.
