AIMIM's electoral footprint in India: Asaduddin Owaisi turning Hyderabad-based outfit into a pan-Indian political party

From a local political outfit, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has increased its electoral footprint.

Once a party in a tiny dot on the map, today it has a presence in many states. From Telangana, it has gone up to North, West and East.

The AIMIM now has electoral presence in five states and a cadre in many more states. 

It has taken hard work, mostly in the last 5-6 years, but Majlis is now turning into a pan-Indian political party.

AIMIM does not have many members in the parliament and is not at the helm in any state. But is growing fast and is now in a position that it has state units. In Telangana, it has an MP, over half-a-dozen MLAs and MLCs apart from 44 councillors in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

Though Hyderabad is the party's base, it has cadre in Maharashtra too--an MP from Aurangabad and two MLAs in the Assembly. The party has done even better in Bihar where it won five seats in Assembly elections in Seemanchal region. 

Now, in Gujarat, it contested on a few seats in civic elections and has won at seven places in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. This is also an achievement, considering that there is no other party apart from BJP and Congress in the corporation. 

Earlier, in UP, its councillors were elected at several places in municipal elections. Clearly, the party is gaining strength and it is now spreading towards North India and other parts of the country. Credit is due to Owaisi for the hard work and dedication. 

NOTE: One of the reason that is driving AIMIM is that its leadership at state or district level is basically taking up issues pertaining to Muslims and their areas. In sharp contrast, Congress leaders refuse to even pay lip service or speak, let alone act, as they fear they would be seen as pro-Muslim and hurt their Hindu base.

When an AIMIM leader gets elected as a corporator, his main job is to talk about health, education, issues pertaining to his ward--mohalla or locality. He is expected to speak, act on these issues. It helps develop cadre and more people learn how to take a representation to officials or present memorandum, charter of demands. 

However, Congress' leaders irrespective of their religion, even refuse to speak when there is violence as seen in Madhya Pradesh recently--the incidents in Mandsaur, Ujjain and Indore where there houses and properties were damaged. Yet Congress leaders didn't even visit the victims.

Photo: AIMIM's Bina Parmar, who is among the elected councillor (corporator) in Ahmedabad. Earlier too, apart from Muslims, Hindus have been fielded in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana. AIMIM has had Mayor from majority community too.

UPDATE: Now, AIMIM has also won seats in Godhra, Modasa and Bharuch, in the second round of civic elections. With presence of the party's elected representatives in urban areas, AIMIM is clearly a visible force in the state. 

Attack on Siasat editor & Mudslinging among media houses in Hyderabad

Editor of Urdu daily, Siasat, Zahid Ali Khan was attacked in Hyderabad when he was returning home at night.

Khan's car was stopped near Mehdipatnam and filth was thrown at him by unidentified miscreants. But Siasat owners have already 'identified' the attackers and the mudslinging has begun.

Hyderabad has three major Urdu newspapers, Siasat, Munsif and Etemaad. Siasat is the oldest and most respected and credited with revival of Urdu journalism.

Khan Latif Muhammad Khan's Munsif recently took over Siasat in terms of circulation. Etemad is the latest entrant. It is owned by the Owaisi family and is clearly the mouthpiece of Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) though it is also a standard newspaper in terms of quality of print and content.

When Etemaad was launched, the two old newspapers joined hands to fight Etemaad, which has got a foothold and sizeable circulation. But when it comes to mudslinging and attacking each other, these three well established newspapers cross all limits.

Every few months one gets to see this sort of campaign to defame the other group.

In the latest incident, Siasat squarely blames 'Majlis goons' for the 'dastardly act' and terms it as 'majlis ki ochhi harkat' in half-a-dozen screaming headlines.

Munsif also reports the incident on its last page and even before any police investigation is complete, gives its verdict.

The story begins with such opinionated sentence, 'Members of a political party that claims to be uniting Muslims (Ittehadul Muslimeen) intercepted the car of Khan and attempted to throw human excreta on him'. Arrey bhai reporting aur editorial ka farq bhi nahin malum kya?

Of course, it is a condemnable incident. But the newspapers and their owners are themselves to be blamed for this sorry state of affairs. They have brought their differences on the streets and trade charges on each other. The attacks are often vitriolic and personal.

Elsewhere also papers have their differnces but media houses don't splash these stories or use the paper to score over their opponents. Together they can serve Hyderabadis and Urdu jorunalism but they wash dirty linen in public so often that it causes harm to everybody including the reputation of these papers that have otherwise done a lot to raise the issues of Urdu-speakers in Deccan.

Even if you write something on a blog about Hyderabad, the anonymous brigade of both MIM and Siasat supporters turn the comments section into their battlefield and make wild allegations on each other. Twice I have to change my comments policy at various blogs to save them from this propaganda.

[Photos: The picture of Zahid Ali Khan being intercepted and an excerpt from a Siasat report]