Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders on Thursday responded to AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi's remarks linking US Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's victory in the Michigan Senate race to the need for Muslims in Uttar Pradesh to strengthen their political identity.
Owaisi had said Muslims in Uttar Pradesh should not bow down before anyone, citing El-Sayed's victory as an example of political success.
Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput said that Indians winning elections abroad is a matter of pride that no matter what their names and religious identities are. He added: “Whether Abdul wins abroad or Shri Ram Nene wins abroad, they are Indians. Such language may be used for political jibes, but the rest of the world is a separate matter. Muslims in India are completely safe with the Congress, the INDIA bloc, and under the country’s Constitution and democracy.”
Reacting to Owaisi's comments, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ashutosh Verma welcomed the victory in Michigan, but reminded Owaisi that El-Sayed was an immigrant of Egyptian origin. "His father was a renowned doctor, and he comes from a family of physicians. He won as a Democratic Party candidate. The victory of Democrats who are not communal or far-right shows the direction in which global politics is moving," Verma said.
Owaisi, who has addressed public meetings in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh in recent weeks, cited El-Sayed's victory in the Michigan Senate race on Wednesday to say that the "Abdul" of Uttar Pradesh would no longer bow down before anyone but emerge as a political leader.
"Abdul succeeded as a senator in Michigan. After I spoke, did Abdul become an issue or not? The BJP used to say that Abdul fixes punctures. In a democracy, Abdul became a senator. Now, Abdul in UP will not bow down before anyone but will become an MLA," Owaisi told reporters.
Notably, El-Sayed, who is of Egyptian origin, is married to Sarah Jukaku, whose family has roots in Bhatkal, a coastal town in Karnataka.
(With inputs from PTI)