All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday called for independent political leadership among Muslims and marginalised communities, launching a sharp attack on the Congress and Samajwadi Party during an address in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh.
Owaisi urged voters to move beyond established political figures and parties, arguing that minority communities should develop their own leadership instead of depending on established parties for representation.
“We no longer need a Gandhi or a Nehru; we need our own leaders,” Owaisi said, criticising what he described as a political culture in which Muslims are expected to support established leaders without gaining adequate representation.
“Nobody speaks about our suffering. Yet today, the police detain someone and order them not to stage a protest for a year,” he said, referring to restrictions on political protest.
Owaisi contrasted his approach with those who ask Muslims to support established political parties in the hope that leaders comparable to Jawaharlal Nehru or Mahatma Gandhi would emerge from within them.
“They say, ‘Support them’. I say, ‘You become the leader’. We are not slaves to anyone,” he said.
Owaisi Targets Akhilesh Yadav Over Muslim Representation
The AIMIM chief also targeted Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, drawing parallels between contemporary political representation and debates within the Congress before Independence.
Referring to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Owaisi alleged that established political leaders had historically sought Muslim electoral support without adequately empowering Muslim leaders.
He invoked the political discussions surrounding the Congress presidency in 1946, when Gandhi supported Nehru taking over the position instead of Azad.
Owaisi argued that the episode reflected a broader pattern in which minority communities were encouraged to support established political figures while their own leaders were denied greater political influence.
He compared what he described as Gandhi’s approach to the present-day politics of Akhilesh Yadav, alleging that the Samajwadi Party had followed a similar pattern.
These remarks were part of Owaisi’s broader criticism of mainstream parties, particularly the Congress and regional parties that have historically sought support from Muslim voters.
AIMIM Seeks to Challenge Established Political Equations
Azamgarh has long been an important electoral battleground for the Samajwadi Party. Owaisi’s address signals AIMIM’s attempt to challenge established political equations in Uttar Pradesh by appealing directly to Muslim voters and other marginalised communities.
His call for independent leadership seeks to shift the focus from supporting established parties to building political representation from within the community.
Owaisi has frequently argued that minority communities should have a greater role in decision-making rather than being treated primarily as electoral constituencies.
