AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's call on Muslim youth to lead from the front and stop following political families has drawn criticism from opposition leaders, who accused him of promoting a polarising view of India rather than a pluralistic one.
Addressing an election-related event in Rampur on Sunday, Owaisi said Muslim youth should emerge as political leaders instead of following the Nehru-Gandhi families or Yadav leaders. "We will no longer make any Nehru, Gandhi, or any Yadav our leader. Young men and women standing in our ranks will become leaders," he said.
Reacting to the remarks, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Abbas Haider said Owaisi was free to contest elections anywhere in the country, but voters in Uttar Pradesh were politically aware and capable of deciding what was best for the state.
Recalling AIMIM's performance in the 2022 Assembly polls, Haider told PTI that "such statements are not new" and accused Owaisi of pursuing "a divisive political agenda."
"The people of Uttar Pradesh are looking towards leadership that brings society together, rather than forces that divide people along communal or other lines," he said.
Haider said the SP, under its national president Akhilesh Yadav, had been raising issues concerning PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak), social justice, employment, equality and constitutional rights.
Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput told PTI Videos that his party could not engage politically with those who did not respect the legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.
He also accused Owaisi of criticising Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and said such leaders could not be considered patriotic.
Rajput alleged that Owaisi used threatening language in his political speeches while repeatedly seeking an electoral understanding with the INDIA bloc.
In Patna, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said Owaisi was entitled to his political views but questioned whether other parties should be denied the right to speak about representation.
Jha said India's political and intellectual traditions had accommodated leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and BR Ambedkar.
"India was never of one colour. There was never a one-dimensional way of thinking. That is the pluralistic thinking of India," he told PTI Videos.
In Delhi, Congress leader Udit Raj accused Owaisi of promoting a polarising narrative similar to that of the BJP.
"The BJP is becoming the contractor of Hindus, and he is becoming the contractor of Muslims," Raj said, arguing that both were communal forces.
In his speech on Sunday, Owaisi said his party, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), wanted to enable young people to become legislators and members of Parliament and secure justice for marginalised communities. "Abdul will become a leader, an MLA, an MP," he said, referring to the common Muslim name.
Owaisi claimed that many within the Congress and the Samajwadi Party were unhappy that leadership remained in the hands of scions of the Nehru-Gandhi and Yadav families. He challenged them to accept leaders such as Shaukat Ali and Mehtab Jahan.
He also accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of seeking to turn India into a Hindu nation.
The exchanges come ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, due in early 2027, with the dates yet to be announced.
The BJP-led government, under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has been in power since 2017, while the SP, led by Akhilesh Yadav, is seen as its principal challenger.
The SP is contesting in alliance with the Congress, while the Bahujan Samaj Party, led by Mayawati, remains a key player despite having no seats in the current Assembly.
Owaisi has repeatedly offered to join hands with opposition parties, including the SP, to challenge the BJP in the next elections. Akhilesh Yadav has indicated that his party intends to continue with its existing alliance partners.
AIMIM has a limited electoral presence in Uttar Pradesh and has frequently faced allegations from opposition leaders that it splits anti-BJP votes, an accusation Owaisi has denied.
In 2022, AIMIM secured a little over 0.40% of the votes polled. In 2017, 37 of its 38 candidates lost their deposits.
(With inputs from PTI)