Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) incumbent Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan hit out at All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi accusing him of orchestrating the alleged demise of Muslim leadership in the country.
Lashing out at the AIMIM chief, Amanatullah Khan made a strong statement saying, “I would like to tell this Hyderabadi (Asaduddin Owaisi)… this is the first time your party is pitted against me, the first time someone has dared to challenge me. For the first time, you have come to Okhla, the only place in India where the largest number of educated Muslims reside. The people of Okhla are smart and will not be influenced by you.”
Amanatullah Khan’s statement comes in response to Asaduddin Owaisi’s allegations accusing the AAP of failing to facilitate any development in Okhla over the past decade. While campaigning in poll-bound Delhi Owaisi said, “For 10 years, Kejriwal’s MLA hasn’t done anything here, and now the people are angry. We’re seeing a positive shift this time because the people of Okhla are tired of the neglect. We will win in this constituency.”
Delhi elections: AAP govt has failed Okhla, says Asaduddin Owaisi
In a sharp reaction, Amanatullah Khan challenged the Hyderabad MP to win the elections. “I will leave this Hyderabadi (Asaduddin Owaisi) in such a condition that he will never dare to talk about Muslim leadership again. He will never set foot in Okhla again,” he said.
He accused Owaisi’s strategy of fielding candidates in Muslim-dominated areas which could lead to a split of votes between the Congress and AAP, directly benefitting the BJP.
“For the past 15 days, you and your party leaders have been campaigning trying to win the voters’ hearts. I have been called several derogatory names such as dalal and on other occasions, they allege my bail will be rejected and so on,” the AAP MLA said targeting Asaduddin Owaisi.
With only two days until the high-stakes seventh Delhi Legislative Assembly elections scheduled to take place on February 5, tensions run high as political parties push hard to woo voters.
Among the three main parties; AAP, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress – battling for Delhi, AIMIM has fielded also its candidates – Shifa Ur Rehman for Okhla and Tahir Hussain for Mustafabad constituencies – a move that may not look good for AAP.
